Monchele Drabbles
by FaithfullyMoncheles
Summary: A collection of Monchele drabbles that I originally posted on monchele-drabbles . tumblr . com Lots of Monchele fluff. Hope you like them!
1. Good Luck, I love you!

"One more kiss?" he whined, holding her tightly in his arms.

"Okay. One more, then we really have to go to set, okay?" she giggled, kissing his lips and running her slender fingers through his Finn-styled hair.

He grunted when she pulled away from him, heading toward her trailer door and gesturing him over to it.

"I can't help it. You shouldn't be allowed to wear dresses like this at work." He said, looking her up and down once more.

He couldn't get enough of the sight of her.

They were filming the Season 3 Prom episode, and Lea was, as she called it, 'all dolled up' in her Prom dress.

"Cory! Stop it!" she laughed, feeling his large arms wrapping around her, "careful of my hair!"

She eventually shooed Cory out of the trailer and onto the pavement.

He clasped her hand in his as they both walked to set, being joined with multiple other cast members on their way.

Cory felt Lea shake as the wind blew around them. It was unusual to have this sort of weather in Los Angeles, but it couldn't always be sunny skies and 40 degrees.

"Are you cold, baby?" he said, putting his arm over her shoulder and rubbing her bare skin.

"No, I'm okay." She said, trying to hide how chilly she actually was.

"Oh yeah, that's why you have goose bumps all over your skin then?" he said, taking off his blazer and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Cory… costume are going to flip out!" she squealed, wrapping the blazer around her but frowning at him.

"Well I don't want you to get sick Lea. Your health is more important to me." he said, squeezing her hand and holding the door to Stage 7 open for her.

"Thank-you" she leaned up and placed a quick kiss on his cute button nose.

There were more than 500 people on set, excluding cast members and Lea had no idea what to do with herself.

"Right, I need a shot of Naya. Lea, you go and sit in your chair. We'll shoot the Rachel and Quinn scene next, okay?" The director hollered at Lea.

He was a bit too forceful for Lea's liking, but she knew how stressful things were getting on set.

Lucky for Lea, Cory was sat on his chair playing with his iPhone.

"Oh look who I have for company" she said in a disgusted tone, clearly being sarcastic.

"Hey baby." He reached up and sat her on his lap, running his hands up and down her smooth skin, "good job!"

"I just did a 2.3 second shot, Cor!" she rubbed her nose against his, giving him a butterfly kiss.

As if she thought he was settling for just a butterfly kiss.

He brought his hands up to her face and pulled her down for a kiss, sweetly sucking at her lips.

She rested her forehead against his, smiling softly.

"I love you, you know." She sighed, pulling back and admiring her man.

"I know you do. You make that very clear every single night…"

"Cory!" she hit his arm, covering his mouth with her hand, "Shhhh! You're such an asshole! I was trying to be romantic."

She pouted her lips, only to feel his own lips back on hers again.

"Umm… Lea?"

Lea pulled away from Cory, who was starting to feel uncomfortably tight in his tailored Prom suit.

It was Naya. Lea could tell she felt a little awkward interrupting both of her co-stars during an impromptu make out sesh.

"Yeah?" she croaked, clearing out her throat and covering her swollen lips with her hand.

"Um. Eric needs you for the hallway scene." She said with a smile, flashing a quick wink at Lea who was still sat on Cory's lap.

"Oh okay, thanks Nay." She said, smoothening out her hair and clambering out of Cory's lap.

Naya quickly scurried off upon hearing a Producer call her name.

"Oh gosh. I'm nervous."

"Nervous? Why do you need to be nervous Lee?" he rose to his feet, towering over her once again.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess Dianna just challenges me as an actor, you know?"

He absolutely loved how modest she was. Everyone on set knew she was the star of the show. She was the one who made the show work. She was the most talented, the most dedicated and the most had working member of the cast, yet she still felt challenged by her co-stars?

"You are amazing, Lea. And you're going to kill it like you always do. Okay?" he said, pressing his body flush against hers.

"Okay, I'll try!"

"You don't need to try, baby. You're perfect."

A wave of emotions flew through Lea's body all at once. She couldn't help but melt by his kind words.

"I love you so much." She stroked her thumb over his cheek bone, studying his eyes.

"Lea!"

Eric was getting seriously impatient with her tardiness.

"Coming!" she shouted back, picking up her dress and turning toward the set.

"I'll catch you later, Cor."

"Good Luck! I love you." He said, before he took her hand and walked her to her mark.


	2. 1 to 10

It was this annoying obsession of his that she couldn't help but love and hate at the same time.

He'd had the same flip cam ever since Glee had started and he took it everywhere with him.

Wherever he went, he made sure he was bothering someone with it.

"Say hello to the camera Lee!" he said, running up to her and pointing the camera into her face.

She squealed, covering her face with her hands and pushing him away.

"Stop! I don't have any make up on!"

"Well isn't that just ridiculous?" Cory said, pointing the camera in his own face, recording his dialogue, "Don't you all think that Lea Michele is the most beautiful woman in the world with and without make up?"

She blushed. She knew no one was ever going to see his flip cam recordings and disagree/agree with him, but it still made her all giddy inside to know that he would ask people that question.

She turned to see him pointing the camera in her face once again.

"Cory I'm being serious! Go away! Go back to your own trailer!"

It was another late night on the set of Glee and Cory had got sick of playing on his iPad. He was just like a child, he needed to be constantly entertained.

She slammed the trailer door in his face and he knew that she really wasn't in the mood to play his games.

He decided to take it upon himself to prove to her how beautiful she really was.

Planning it all out in his mind, he went in search for his cast mates.

He saw Kevin walking to his own trailer and stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey Kevin! Can I borrow you for a minute?" Cory called out to him, walking toward the smaller man.

"Yeah sure!"

"Okay, so…" he starting, fumbling with his hands and hitting record on the flip cam, pointing it at Kevin's face. "On a scale of 1 to 10. How beautiful is Lea Michele without make up?"

"Is that even a question?" Kevin laughed, staring into the camera lens, "9 or 10 easily. That girl is perfect. Umm… Please don't beat me up for that Cory."

Cory laughed shaking his head at Kevin's goofiness, switching off the flip cam.

"No, that's perfect Kev. Thanks!" Cory reassured his friend, turning his back and dashing off to find other cast members.

He ran into Heather, Vanessa and Jenna in the lobby of the studios.

"Hey girls!" he called to them, "can you come here for a minute!"

They giggled and ran up to Cory, spotting the flip cam in his hands.

"Okay, so tell me ladies…" he said, hitting record on the cam, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how beautiful is Lea Michele without make up? You first, Heather."

"10. I envy her flawless skin so much, oh my gosh." Heather replied to Cory, speaking into the cam.

"I've never seen someone look so damn good at 6am, I swear. So I'm gonna say 10 too?" Jenna said, gesturing to Vanessa for her to start.

"9.99 because I like to be awkward." She giggled, pulling a face at the camera, "No really, I'd totally say 10 too. She's a beautiful woman."

Cory grinned. He couldn't wait to show her what people thought about her. But he still needed to get a few more people.

"Thanks guys, catch you later!" Cory said, dashing off to find Chris.

After searching the set, he finally found Chris sat in the corner of the set frantically writing in his notebook as usual.

"Hey Chris, sorry to bother you, but would you mind answering this question for me?"

Chris looked up at his tall friend and smiled.

"Sure."

"Okay," Cory said, pressing the record button again, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how beautiful is Lea Michele without make up?"

"See, I've told the girl she doesn't need make up so many times. It just masks over how truly beautiful she is underneath. Her skin is so incredibly clear, so I don't see why she wants to cover it up with a bunch of fake products. She's a 10 easily." Chris said, finally wrapping up his speech with a sharp nod of his head.

"Thanks dude, that was awesome." Cory smiled, "See you later."

In the corner of his eye, Cory caught some more of his cast mates hanging out at the side of the set.

Amber, Naya and Mark were all sat together drinking coffee and gossiping.

"Hey guys." Cory said, walking over to his friends and sitting down beside them.

"Hey! What's up?" Amber replied, shifting her body so that Cory could sit down comfortably.

"Nothing much. I was just wondering if you guys would answer this question for me?"

"Sure."

"Okay then." He switched the flip cam on once more, focusing on Amber first, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how beautiful is Lea Michele without make up?"

"An easy 9! I don't know why she wastes her money on make up, geez. If I were her, I'd save myself some dough and buy an extra bottle of wine at the end of the month with my savings!" Amber said, laughing her trademark laugh.

Cory shifted the camera to Naya who was already posing for the camera hilariously.

"10. The girl is gorgeous. To everyone out there who has never seen Lea Michele without make up, you're honestly missing out."

Laughing, Cory finally turned the camera to Mark.

"My hot Jewish American Princess gets a 9 from the Saw."

Cory rolled his eyes, Mark could never take anything seriously.

"Okay great, thanks guys!"

They all called after Cory, bidding him goodbye as he turned his back on them and walked towards his own trailer.

He couldn't wait to compile all the clips into a video and show them to Lea when they got home later that night.

2 hours later, Cory knocked on Lea's trailer door.

"I'm still mad at you for shoving that camera in my face when you knew I had no make up on." She sulked, pouting her lips at him.

"Aw come on babe, you still love me." He said, pressing a quick kiss on her lips before throwing his arm around her and helping her into his car.

"Yeah, I know I do. That's what bothers me. I can't help but friggen love you." She said, rolling her eyes and buckling her belt into its slot.

They arrived on Lea's driveway less than 15 minutes later.

Once Lea had changed into her pajamas and settled herself down in bed, he stripped down to his sleeping boxers and jumped into bed with her, just as usual. But tonight he had his mac book in his hands.

"Why are you bringing that to bed?" she laughed at his craziness, fluffing his hair with her fingers.

"Well." He said, a cheeky look creeping across his face, "I have something to show you."

"Another cat video?" she squealed, positioning herself on Cory's chest so that she could see the screen perfectly.

"Oh my god, you're so cute!" He said, his heart overwhelmed with love for her, "But no. I think you'll appreciate this a lot more."

He hit play on the video he compiled in his trailer, Kevin's face coming up on the screen.

She watched and listened as she heard Cory ask him the question.

She blushed when she heard Kevin's response, butterflies attacking her stomach.

Her heart glowed when the screen cut to Jenna, Heather and Vanessa all giving their thoughts on Cory's question.

Cory watched his girlfriend as she processed everything she was hearing, a grin never leaving his face.

Chris Colfer's face popped up on to the screen and she couldn't help but giggle at his over analysis.

Finally, Amber, Naya and Mark's responses graced themselves on the screen, making Lea feel completely over the moon with their kind words.

Just as Lea was about to open her mouth, thinking that the video had ended, Cory's face appeared on the screen.

"So. Lea Michele…" the on screen Cory said proudly, "I think you may be wrong, judging by what your cast mates think about you. You are the most beautiful woman in the world. You need to know that. I am not doing my job properly as a boyfriend if you don't know how beautiful you are inside and out. So many people look up to you and admire you for many reasons, and your beauty just highlights all your qualities. You're amazing. You're talented. You're passionate and you are freaking beautiful. If you haven't accepted that by now, then you should probably get on to that soon. I love you!"

Lea was speechless. She felt tears in her eyes as she turned to face Cory.

"You-You did that for me?" she sniffed, a small smile forming on her pink lips.

"Of course I did. I love you. I don't want you to feel bad about yourself. You're so beautiful."

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to kiss her roughly. She slipped her tongue into her mouth, not caring that he hadn't brushed his teeth yet. He moaned into the kiss, making her aware of how much he truly appreciated her embrace.

"I love you so much." She said, snuggling into his chest, breathing in his husky scent.

"I love you more." He replied, kissing her head and smiling proudly.


	3. A Date For Three

"So. I reserved us a table at Il Covo for tonight at 8pm. What do you say beautiful?" Cory said, sneaking up on his petite little girlfriend, slipping his hands around her waist from behind.

Lea turned in his arms to meet his gaze. He saw her face fall.

"I'm sorry Cory, I can't." she said, rubbing her hand up and down his arm.

"Why not?" he questioned her, clearly disappointed.

The last time they had been at Il Covo they'd had a great time. So had the media, to be truthfully honest.

"Jon called me last night. He's in town and he wants to have a movie night tonight before he leaves for Chicago in the morning…" she leaned up and kissed his cheek, "I'm sorry babe."

He shook his head dismissively. He knew how sacred and important Jon's friendship was to Lea. Jonathon was truly the only other man on the planet, besides himself and Lea's Dad, Marc, that could make her really happy.

"Don't worry about it. I should've asked you what your plans were ahead of time anyway."

"Hey!" she squeaked, holding onto his arm as they made their way to rehearsal on set, "why don't you come too? Please Cory?"

Hanging out with Lea and Jon together had been something Cory had always wanted to do. But he just felt so rude and intruding on their friendship.

"No Lee, I couldn't…"

"Oh shut up!" she said, hitting his arm playfully, "Jon will be over the moon. Plus it's boys choice tonight for the movie!"

She shot him a cheeky wink before disappearing into her trailer.

He was pretty stoked for this evening.

Pretty damn stoked.

Cory had decided to go straight to Lea's house instead of meeting her at 8. He practically lived at her house anyway. 6/7 nights of the week he stayed over at her beautiful, spacious modern-day cottage. If he was honest, he wasn't sure why he hadn't officially moved in yet.

"Cory, I'm trying to chop the cucumber! If I slip I'll cut my finger off!" Lea giggled, trying to wriggle away from his hands that were tickling her.

"I'm sorry baby." He said, totally not sorry.

He nuzzled his head into her neck, placing a few kisses on her hair until he gained access to her neck.

She shifted her body so that it was pressed flush against his.

He gulped, trying to control himself and his actions.

She balanced on her tip toes and placed a sweet kiss on his lips.

He was so not done with her yet.

Licking his lips, he crashed his mouth against hers, darting his tongue through her mouth and sucking on her lip lustfully.

She moaned into his kisses, feeling the hairs on her arms and back prick up.

He moved his mouth to her neck, sucking sweetly on her sensitive spots, trying desperately hard not to leave a noticeable mark.

"C-Cory." She mumbled, not really wanting the embrace to end, but ending it anyway.

"Yeah baby?"

"I need to finish this salad."

He pulled away from her and laughed.

"Oh I'm so sorry," he continued to chuckle, "this is such an unromantic place for a hot make out sesh."

She hit him on the arm again. He made their intimate embraces sound so cheap and disgusting.

"Okay, apology accepted. Now go and put these chips on the coffee table by the sofa. Jon will be here any second."

True to form, Jon rang the doorbell minutes later and Lea greeted him with their normal, cute handshake.

"Hey Cory!" Jon said cheerily, throwing his arm around Lea, "it's been a while!"

"Dude I know! Hardly got to see you when you were shooting on set!"

Cory was pretty disappointed when Jonathon had only been given 2 episodes in Season 3 which he hardly featured in.

Everyone knew how talented Jon was and how well his character fitted into the show.

"Well to be honest, the timing was bad for me this year. I had a bunch of other stuff going on, so I couldn't stay on set for long."

That made a lot of sense to Cory. He totally understood where he was coming from.

"So Jon, I made Vegan pizza-"

Lea was interrupted by the sound of Cory coughing a bit too loudly. He shot her a knowing look.

"Okay well fine! Cory made Vegan pizza!" she sighed, rolling her eyes at her freakishly goofy boyfriend.

"Brilliant. I brought a bunch of DVDs. Wanna go watch?" he laughed, watching Cory place a big sloppy kiss on Lea's cheek.

Once Jon had slotted the DVD into the player, he settled down on the couch next to Lea, who was looking awfully comfortable snuggled in Cory's lap between his legs.

Jonathon knew more than anyone else how much Lea loved Cory.

He knew before anyone else what was going on between them.

Lea had confessed to Jon years ago that she had feeling for Cory, but she was just waiting for the right time and the right moment to bring her feelings to the surface and to truly deal with him.

He didn't care if he wasn't Lea's number one guy anymore. He just cared that she was happy and that she was being loved and was loving in return.

As long as his best friend was happy, he was happy.

Cory couldn't help but place sweet kisses on her neck as the three of them relaxed watching the movie.

There was nothing he didn't love about Lea's body, and he exposed neck just seemed to spark his desire for her.

Lea could feel Cory's body temperature rise underneath her. She tapped him on the knee as if to stay 'stop it', but he continued to kiss her neck lovingly, ignoring her every action.

All of sudden, Lea really wished Jon hadn't come over tonight. Her body started paralleling that of Cory's.

She felt his hand slide down her smooth leg, slowly stroking it up and down.

If her heart hadn't already gone into cardiac arrest, it was going to soon.

She looked up at Jon to see if he suspected anything.

Luckily he was extremely interested in the movie that he'd put on and didn't even bat an eye in their direction.

Knowing that he wasn't looking, Lea quietly flipped her body and crawled up on top of Cory's.

She felt his hard member press against her leg and she gasped for breath.

Before she knew it her lips were sucking on Cory's mouth, his tongue playing games with her, teasing her all about her mouth.

Cory pulled away placing hot open mouth kisses all along her neck and down to her chest.

"Um. Lea?" Jon laughed, seriously enjoying what he was seeing, "why couldn't you have done that with me 8 shows a week for 2 years?"

Lea would have been absolutely horrified if she hadn't found his comment so funny.

She jumped off of a very embarrassed Cory and laid back in his lap.

"Oh, because I didn't want to get the audience to excited, Jon." She smiled, leaning over and placing a kiss on Jon's cheek.

She'd never felt happier or more loved.

She was surrounded by her two favourite boys in the world.

The only two boys in the world who knew how to truly love her and make her feel special.

That's all she needed. And she was beyond happy.


	4. A Hot Date

The day had finally arrived.

The day that Lea had been dreading for weeks now.

The day they were going to film the Finn and Rachel sex scene.

When she had first read the scene, she had been absolutely over the moon. She loved it when the writers wrote in some serious character development for her to play around with.

But as soon as she realized that she'd have to face her feelings for Cory once and for all, she quickly began to dread the approaching shooting date.

She woke up with her stomach in knots, trying to reassure herself that she did not have feelings for Cory. She couldn't have feelings for Cory. He was her brother. That was all he was supposed to be.

She knew that was complete bullshit, but whatever put her mind at rest worked for her.

Upon arriving on set, she quietly ran lines while getting into character in her trailer.

There was a knock on her trailer door.

"Come in, it's open!" she called.

"Hey Lea."

Her heart stopped. She was definitely not expecting to see Cory before arriving on set.

"Oh… hey!" she responded, a little too enthusiastically.

"I just wanted to come by and chat to you before we head to set." He said, pulling out a chair and sitting it next to her.

"Sure" she said, applying eye shadow to her eyelids, trying to pull a poker face over her emotions.

"Well, this is a big scene. And I just wanted to make sure that you're comfortable with everything, okay? We're both actors. It's our job to be our characters, feel what the characters feel… and I know that's hard, but we can try, right?" he smiled confidently.

"Um. Sure. Thanks Cory, I really appreciate you coming by." She smiled weakly, trying to hide her heartache.

He obviously wasn't as excited as she was about this scene. There's no way he had feelings for her. Her heart broke somewhat at his calm words.

"Okay then, well we should go. Shooting starts in 20 minutes!" he said, rising to his feet, "See you out there?"

"Yeah… Yeah of course" she replied shakily, trying to gather her thoughts together.

He closed the door behind him, leaving Lea to battle with her emotions.

She didn't think she was strong enough to go through with the scene.

She was still so fragile from her very recent break up, and she had some serious, serious feelings invested in Cory.

After spending a few minutes gathering together her thoughts, she locked her trailer door and made her way to Stage 7.

"Okay Cory, I need you to finish lighting the fire, then turn around and lean right over to her and kiss her… okay?" Brad called, staring through the monitor at Cory's mark.

"Sure!" Cory responded, shifting into position.

"Great, okay get ready for action. 3….2…1…"

Cory heard his queue to start, and he took his direction, turning away from the fire once it had successfully been lit. He crawled up toward Lea, still following his direction, and gave her the most lusty, intense look.

"I-I'm sorry!" Lea squeaked, stopping Cory from continuing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I-" Cory started, his cheeks flushing red.

"No! Sorry, could I just get a glass of water? The smoke from the fire is clogging up my throat." She exhaled, trying to cover up her small freak out.

That wasn't the reason she'd halted shooting at all.

Cory was driving her crazy and she didn't know how much longer she could keep up her cool, professional act.

Once she'd taken a few sips of water, Cory moved back to his mark and they started rolling again.

Cory crawled on top of her, as he'd been asked to do, and kissed her.

She couldn't help but moan. She hoped that he thought it was some sort of character choice, but she highly doubted he would.

"Okay, that was great guys" Brad called from the back of the room, "can we get that again but from a different angle?"

Cory and Lea both moved back to their marks, straightening out their clothes.

Once they were rolling, Lea felt his lips back on hers and she almost jumped out of her skin when she felt his tongue poking through her lips.

He'd never given her a French kiss on set before.

Ever.

"Great and cut!" Brad called, "right, we'll go from the end of your next line, Lea."

She nodded, sitting up and hitting her new mark.

She looked over at Cory. He was giving her a look that she couldn't read.

A look that she'd never seen him give her before. He seemed speechless and it concerned her.

"Cory, are you okay?" she whispered, leaning her head over to him so that no one else could hear.

"Oh um, yeah… sorry, I just-" he said, looking completely dazed and totally lost in thought.

"Okay, Lea, we're rolling!" Brad shouted.

"Who and when is better than you and now? And I love you…"

Cory followed his staging directions, smiling and leaning down to kiss her.

This time he smashed his lips into hers, rubbing his tongue against hers and grinding his body up and down her own.

Once the shot was over, he pulled away from her completely speechless.

She was breathless. Words couldn't explain how magical that kiss had been.

How long she had waited for a kiss like that.

He couldn't speak. He truly didn't know what was going on with his emotions. She was making him feel so weird inside.

"Okay great guys! That was brilliant, but I'm really sorry, we could do to get the same sequence from a different angle."

They moved back to their marks once more, Cory wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand.

They started rolling again and Cory climbed on top of her again, capturing her lips in his and kissing her roughly. He grinded against her legs and waist, feeling the hairs on his arms prick up.

She almost pulled back in shock when she felt his rock hard member pressing into her thigh.

Once the scene was over, Cory pulled away from Lea, his face the brightest shade of red she had ever seen.

"I-I'm so sorry Lea. Oh my god." He gasped, burying his head in his hands.

He'd never felt so embarrassed in his entire life.

He'd just got a boner on set in front of Lea. In front of Brad Buecker. In front of the 50 crew members that surrounded them. And to make it even worse, it had been caught on camera.

She couldn't help but smile a little.

Maybe Cory did have some sort of feelings for her.

"Listen. I need to talk to you. Meet me in my trailer once you get changed" Cory said before struggling to his feet and walking off the set and to his trailer.

Maybe she did stand a chance with him after all.


	5. Beautiful

"Lea!" Cory said quietly, nudging his sleeping girlfriend gently, "We're in Belgium!"

She opened her eyes, smiling when she saw Cory's beaming face in front of her own.

She leaned up to give him a sleepy kiss before he pulled her to her feet and threw his arm around her.

"Awww you're all warm and snuggly." Cory cooed at how adorable Lea was, as she continued to contently wake up in his arms.

"Mmmm I had a good sleep," she giggled as he helped her down off the train and onto the platform, "but I'm starving!"

Laughing, Cory realized the irony in her comment. He was usually the one who was constantly complaining about being hungry. Maybe it was because he knew food turned her on, but he wasn't quite sure. That was probably the reason, come to think of it.

"Come on, let's go and get you a coffee and some food."

Their feet patted along the cobbled street outside of the train station, Lea scanning her surroundings for a coffee shop.

Old, historic looking buildings towered over them, casting them in the shade away from the sun. Lea found it incredibly romantic as she had truly never seen anything like it before in New York or Los Angeles. She was pretty sure Cory hadn't seen anything like it before too.

"Wow. It's so beautiful here." She sighed, stopping for a moment and snuggling into Cory's chest.

"I know." He responded, pressing a soft kiss into her hair, "I'm so glad that I get to experience all these beautiful things with such a beautiful girl."

Her heart swelled in her chest. His words always made her weak in the knees. He had a special art at making them wobble and give way whenever he spoke sweet nothings into her ear.

"You're cute." She giggled, marking his cheek with a wet kiss.

"Not as cute as you. Now come on, let's get some food."

He took her hand and led her down the road where they eventually came across a small tea shop.

The tea shop was one of the most amazing things Lea had ever seen in her life.

The entire building was made out of wood. Many shapes and designs had been carved into the wood, making the exterior so incredibly beautiful and vintage. The little windows of the shop were lined by rows of daisies. Flowers hung from the door frame and extenuated the brilliance of the stained glass door, which served as an entrance to the tea shop.

It was gorgeous. She couldn't help but let her jaw drop at the sight of such a beautiful building.

"Oh Cor, I really, really like it here. I wish we weren't just stopping off."

A smile tugged at his mouth. He loved how excited she was about travelling and how she'd been so incredibly keen to get to Paris, but now that she was in Belgium, she was truly just appreciating her time in Europe.

Once they had been settled down into a seat in the tea shop, Lea let her gaze wander across the beautifully painted walls of the tea shop.

The walls were lined with all sorts of collectibles and antiques. There was one cabinet in the corner of the store that was strictly dedicated to vases and nothing more.

It was places like this that made Lea wish she wasn't an actress. She had always wanted to travel the world and see how other people lived. But now that she'd made it and her dreams had come true, she literally had no time to travel during filming.

Nevertheless, Lea loved her job and wouldn't give it up for anything.

Cory quickly ordered himself and Lea their normal coffees and a traditional Danish pastry each.

Lea pulled out her iPhone and decided to catch up with what was going on in the world while they waited for their order to arrive.

She read the latest tabloids and gossip columns before quickly logging onto twitter and sending a quick tweet. Tapping quickly, she wrote:

" msleamichele: Quick stop in Antwerp for a cup of coffee and some pastries :)"

She giggled as she saw some excited responses flying into her mentions seconds later.

Looking over at Cory, she noticed that he too had his phone out and was contently reading something on his small screen.

"Hey, did you know that Adele is pregnant?" Cory said, pointing at the screen and making a crazy face.

"No way!"

"Yeah, totally legit too. She confirmed it herself."

"Wow…" Lea sighed. She couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She kind of felt as though she should be starting to settle down soon.

Seconds later, a waitress placed a tray with their coffees and pastries down on their table, causing them to both look up and thank the host.

"This is delicious." Lea purred, sipping her coffee and appreciating the feeling the caffeine was giving her as it entered her body.

"Mhmmm." Cory replied, a cheeky look on his face.

Lea's iPhone buzzed as she took a mouthful of her pastry, licking her lips and brushing the flakes off of her fingers to answer whoever had contacted her.

No one had texted or called her. It was a twitter notification.

" corymonteith you too? What are the odds! " msleamichele: Quick stop in Antwerp for a cup of coffee and some pastries :)"

Her face lit up in complete shock.

"Oh my god! Cory!" she squealed, half laughing and hitting him on the arm, "what did you do that for?"

"Why not? I'm pretty sure they all know we're together anyway. They're all like ninjas, I swear."

"But you said months ago that you wanted to stop all our communication on twitter? I thought that was what you wanted?" Lea said, her thoughts confusing her. She had no idea what he was trying to gain from this.

"Oh, do you really think I care anymore? I love you and I honestly don't give a shit about who knows it anymore. I'm lucky to have you on my arm, babe. Why can't I show you off to the world?"

He edged close to her, placing his large hand on her leg and rubbing small circles into her skin.

Hairs stood up on her back at the sensation his touch gave her.

"I love you too." she pouted, clasping her lips into his and giving him a short but sweet kiss.

"But you realise you probably sent a thousand fangirls to their grave with that tweet, you asshole." She laughed, pulling away from his mouth and feeding him some pastry.

"Yep. That was also part of my plan." He said cheekily, munching on the pastry and smiling in delight when she erupted into laughter.

He loved her so freaking much.


	6. Came To Say Hello

It was a cold night in NYC and Lea had found Cory's sweater draped over her shoulders very beneficial as they strolled through Central Park.

"Warming up?" he smiled down at her, running his finger over her hand and eventually entwining their fingers.

"Yeah, thanks Cor."

They'd just been for dinner at one of Lea's favourite restaurants in the city. Cory had treated her to anything she wanted on the menu, no matter how expensive or gross sounding.

There was one thing for sure. Cory treated his girl like a princess.

"So. What does my lady want to do now?" he said, jumping in front of her and stopping her in her tracks, "It's only 10 o'clock. The night is young."

He had a sparkle in his eye. She knew he was up to no good.

"Well, what can you do at 10 o'clock?" Lea responded, laughing weakly.

Cory gasped dramatically, making her burst into laughter at his ridiculousness.

"Lea Michele! We're in New York City! The city that never sleeps! What do you mean 'what can you do at 10 o'clock at night?"

She kept laughing. She couldn't help but adore his silliness.

"Okay then, dummy." She said, finally defeated, "What do you think we should do?"

A mischievous look crawled up on his face.

"It just happens that there is a gig in the basement of a bar tonight that I think you'll appreciate."

Although Lea hadn't originally been in the mood to listen to music playing loudly all night, she was quickly warming up to the idea.

"Okay," she smiled, "let's go!"

20 minutes later, Cory and Lea were sat at a small table in the basement of a very posh bar, sipping their drinks quietly.

They watched as different bands and groups made their way up onto the small but affective stage.

The music wasn't too loud or annoying, none of the bands were rock or screamo or some other genre that would drive Lea crazy. She was just enjoying the relaxing sounds coming from the stage.

"This is nice." She smiled, clasping Cory's hand in hers and watching his eyes sparkle.

"I told you you'd like it." He responded proudly, placing a sweet kiss on her knuckles.

All of sudden, Lea felt as though she had to be close to Cory. She moved her chair closer to his and nuzzled her head into his chin as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I love it here. I love New York City. I love being home and I love being with you." She cooed, smiling gaily when she felt his heart rate pick up in his shirt.

"I love you too. Being here with you is all I've ever wanted."

He leaned down to place a meaningful kiss on her glossy lips.

"Lea!"

They both heard her name being called at an unnaturally loud volume before their lips touched.

Lea turned around to the source of the noise and gasped in horror when she saw who was standing beside her.

"La-Landon?" she stuttered, unsure whether it was actually him or not.

"Yeah!" Landon replied, opening his arms to her obviously wanting a hug.

Lea shot a quick look at Cory whose eyebrows had dipped into a confused expression.

Not wanting to leave him in an awkward position, Lea rose to her feet awkwardly and placed her arms around him uncomfortably.

"How are you girl?" Landon squealed enthusiastically after she pulled away from their quick hug.

"I-I'm fine. What are you doing here?" she questioned him, watching her ex-boyfriend pull up a chair and place it next to her boyfriend's chair.

"Oh, my buddy Wesley is one of the acts tonight. You know, I thought I'd pop down here and offer my support." He responded casually, finally meeting Cory's gaze.

"And who is this, Lee?" Landon continued, gesturing toward Cory whose face was turning every sort of red.

"This is Cory." She said matter-of-factly, "Cory Monteith. My boyfriend…"

The last part of her sentence was quietly dragged out deliberately, she hoped that he hadn't heard her.

"Oh really? Well, I'm happy for you Lea." He said, throwing his arm around her chair and squeezing her shoulder, "I hope you guys are happy."

Cory shot Landon a predatory look. He had tried so hard to hold his tongue, but he seriously couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.

"Yeah we are, actually. We're very happy. But do you know what would make me happier?" Cory spat, squaring up to the man with his eyes, "If you left us alone in peace."

Landon looked taken aback. Cory had been so silent the entire time he had made conversation with the couple.

"Dude calm down. I just wanted to know if I could buy her a drink…"

"Well you can't! The only one who should be buying her drinks is me! Now go away and leave her alone." Cory said, staring into the man's eyes with a fierce look.

The guy was clearly trying to make a move on Lea and she was becoming extremely uncomfortable and nervous. He didn't want him around her. He didn't look trustworthy.

"Fine. Whatever." Landon said, accepting his defeat, "I'll leave you guys to play house in your little Glee world."

Landon rose from the table and turned his back on the couple without giving Lea so much as a goodbye.

It was clear that all he wanted was to make a move on Lea. He wasn't really interested in how she was or what she was up to in her life.

Lea gave Cory a dazed look. He shook his head with frustration.

"I'm sorry Lea, but the dude was totally all over you…" he placed his hand on her shoulder, rubbing it affectionately.

"No Cory, it's fine. I promise. I didn't want to talk to him in the first place." She responded confidently, "And you have no reason to be jealous. The only man I want to be with is you."

His heart started to pick up speed once again and he could feel his cheeks flush read.

"Okay, well you owe me a kiss Ms. Michele." He teased, cupping her face and leaning toward her lips with his.

Once their lips had connected, he thrusted his tongue into her mouth and sucked sweetly at her mouth. The love that was flowing through his body at that moment was indescribable.

He love his girl more than he'd ever loved anyone else before.

He wasn't going to let her go to some douchebag ex.

She was his.


	7. Dancing In The Moonlight

Central Park was such a beautiful place at 10 o'clock at night.

Every inch of the park brought her back to her childhood, reminding her of the incredible life she had already lived prior to Glee.

She glanced across the park to the small duck pond, the water glowing in the moonlight.

Memories flooded back into her mind as she pictured herself aged 8 throwing pieces of bread into the water for the ducks.

It made her so happy to be back in New York City.

But what made her even happier was the fact that she had her one true love with her, which made everything seem bigger and brighter, if that was even possible in New York City.

"This place is so pretty." Cory said softly, his arm tightening around her waist as they slowly walked around the lake.

"I know. I used to spend hours down here every weekend with my grandparents." She smiled up at him, "Every week, they would save all their unused bread scraps and let me feed them to the ducks every Saturday morning."

He loved hearing stories about her childhood. It made him feel so happy knowing that she'd had a safe, happy upbringing, unlike the one he had suffered through.

"That's so adorable." He purred into her ear, "You're so adorable."

She turned in his arms as he placed his soft lips on to her neck, sucking lightly at her skin as she moaned into his shoulder.

He peppered kisses up and down her soft neck until she eventually pulled away, shooting him a confused look.

"What was that for?" she giggled, reaching for his hands and kissing both of his knuckles.

"What? Am I not allowed to show affection towards my stunningly beautiful girlfriend?" he said softly, leaning down and kissing her glossy lips, loving the tacky texture.

She smiled into the kiss, loving how he showed his love for her.

"Cory?" she whispered sheepishly, staring down at the ground.

"Mhmmmm?"

"Would you do something with me?"

"Sure?" he responded, just as confused as she had been a few moments earlier.

"Well, this is kind of stupid." She said quietly, her cheeks blushing, "But I always had this dream as a little girl that I'd come back here when I was older with my prince charming, and we'd dance together by the lake under the moonlight. I know it's stupid bu-"

A grin swept across his face at the speed of lighting. Her words heated his chest and caused his heart to throb uncontrollably in his chest.

"Of course I will dance with you." He interrupted her, using his finger to tilt her head up to meet his eyes so that they finally made eye contact again.

"I know it's silly," she giggled softly in his gaze, "but you are my prince charming."

He smiled down at her and placed a sweet kiss on her forehead.

Playing with the idea of being her Prince Charming, he bowed, extending his arm, gesturing for her to place her arm onto his so that they could waltz.

She reciprocated his bow and giggled when he made an approving face.

She pressed her body into his and took his hand, swaying from side to side as they began to slow dance together.

Cory suddenly felt a little nervous, knowing that he couldn't dance to save his life. He really didn't care though. He was with her, waltzing in central park by the most beautiful lake he had ever seen in his entire life with the love of his life. He really didn't care.

"Cory?"

"Yeah baby?" he said softly.

"It's hard to keep a rhythm without any music. Sing me something?"

"Oh no, Lea. I couldn't…"

"Oh please!" she said, cutting in on his sentence.

He could see her eyes light up at the idea of him singing to her and he honestly couldn't refuse when he saw the inevitable sparkle in her eyes.

"Okay then. What should I sing then?"

She took a moment to think about it. Analyzing all the possible choices in her mind that would be good to slow dance to.

"Faithfully." She said finally, "I know that's super cheesy, but it's a good song to dance to… and I just really love it when you sing it."

He gave her a knowing look. He knew there was more to it than that.

"Okay." She said, feeling defeated, "It's the song that made me realize how deeply in love with you I really was. It's always going to be my favourite song because it's our song, the song that will define us forever. It's like a metaphor for our relationship. It wasn't an easy road to each other, but now that we're together, we're always going to be together and no one is ever going to change that."

He couldn't help himself. He just had to kiss her.

After indulging in a long, hot kiss, Cory pulled away and cleared his throat ready to speak.

"I love you so much. Don't you ever forget that."

He placed her back into their dancing position in his arms as he started to softly sing Faithfully.

They stayed by the lake for 2 hours, dancing and singing and showing each other how much they truly loved each other.

Lea knew from such a young age that this place would bring her good things, and it had given her more than she could have ever asked for.

The love of her life.


	8. Hear Me Out

The day had finally arrived.

The day they had been dreading for weeks.

The day where everything would be out in the open and they could finally be themselves.

It had never been a conversation. They both knew that they had to tell everyone.

Glee had been their lives for the past 3.5 years. The cast had become their family, and families didn't hide big secrets away from one another.

"Are you ready babe?" Cory called to his girlfriend who was still getting ready for work in her bedroom.

"No! I don't want to go." She sulked, finally emerging from her bedroom.

Smelling her warm, clean scent, he couldn't help but chuckle a little at how adorable she was being over this whole situation.

"We both know that this is the right thing to do, Lee." Cory stated, taking her hand and leading her out of the front door to his car, "We owe them all the truth. They're our family."

If he was being honest, he was totally freaking out in his mind. He didn't want to go through the whole explanation of the nature of his relationship with Lea. He just wanted to be able to love her and not hide it wherever he went. The air needed to be cleared.

"I know, but I just don't want to. We shouldn't have to do this. Why can't we just be a normal couple and not have to explain to everyone why we're together." She pouted angrily, stepping into the passenger seat and fastening her belt.

He exhaled anxiously, peeling a wisp of her hair away from her eyes and behind her ear.

"It will all be okay. I promise." He kissed her nose, grinning when she flashed him a quick smile, "We'll feel so much better after."

"I hope you're right." She sighed, slipping her sunglasses onto her face, feeling the warmth of the sun already heating up the city.

"Have I ever let you down?" he smiled, placing another quick kiss on her nose before pulling out of her driveway and onto the road.

They both knew the answer to that question was a definite 'No.'

20 minutes later, Lea and Cory both arrived on the Fox Lot.

For once they didn't sneak into the building at separate times, hoping that no one had seen them. They casually walked into the lobby together, arm in arm.

Since it was Monday, there was an inevitable cast and crew meeting in the conference room, just like always.

Cory saw this as the perfect opportunity to tell everyone what was really going on between himself and Lea.

The meeting dragged on for what felt like hours for Cory and Lea. They'd asked Ryan if they could make an announcement at the end of the meeting, to which he had agreed.

"… and so, by the end of this week we will, or should I say, we must have episode 4 entitled 'Pot O' Gold' finished." Ryan said, concluding the meeting.

Cory shot his boss a quick look, to which he remembered his promise.

"Oh wait guys, wait!" he said quickly, "Cory and Lea have an announcement to make."

Both Cory and Lea rose to their feet hastily, swallowing hard.

They looked around the room, seeing every single one of their cast and crew mates looking up at them in anticipation.

"Okay, yeah." Cory started, fumbling around with his hands, eventually sticking them in his pocket, "Well, I'm just gonna come out and say it. Lea and I have grown closer recently and we've decided to take our relationship to the next level."

They both braced themselves for the teasing and the taunting to start, but they were both shocked when the room remained completely silent.

"What? You guys aren't even happy for us?" Lea laughed sarcastically, her hands still shaking from nerves.

"No we are, we're just not surprised." Mark spoke up, shrugging.

"What?" Cory responded, giving his friend a serious look.

"Oh come on. It was going to happen one day. I mean look at you two. You have more sexual tension than Rachel and Finn!" Chris laughed, causing the whole room to erupt in soft laughter.

They both exhaled in relief and Cory pulled Lea into his side, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"But listen, guys!" he spoke loudly, silencing their laughter and gossiping, "We're trusting you by telling you this. You cannot let ANYONE outside this room know, okay? We don't want anyone outside our families and friends to know about us. We consider you guys our family, so please don't disrespect our trust."

Everyone nodded their head in the room, agreeing completely with Cory's terms and conditions.

"Please, please, please don't go to the media either." Lea chimed in, making sure that everyone heard her, "I may die if something gets published."

"Don't even worry, Lea." Ryan called out, "It's in their contracts. They can't sell stories to the media about their co-workers. You have nothing to worry about."

Lea felt the weight of the world being lifted off of her shoulders.

She wrapped her arms tightly around Cory, who held her just as tightly.

"Okay. Well, in that case!" Cory said, taking his girlfriend off guard and dipping her down into a slow, romantic kiss in front of the whole cast and crew.

Everyone cooed at cheered at how adorable they were and applauded them awkwardly once Lea broke off the kiss and hit him on the arm.

"You better not tell anyone!" Lea squealed, her face bright red with embarrassment.


	9. I Will Try To Fix You

Prompt: Paparazzi start to attack Lea and Cory protects her.

She didn't want to face it.

She'd always been so cooperative with the paparazzi and the media, but right now all she wanted to do was live her life without being pictured every second of the day.

How did they even know she and Cory were here?

They had been sure that 'Da Giorgios' was too much of a low-key restaurant in LA to have paps swarming around outside.

Someone inside the restaurant must have tipped them off.

She was slowly losing trust in every member of the public out to get her.

Frustration took over her body and she just wanted to scream.

"I'm so sorry Cory." She said sadly, "We had such a lovely date. I don't see why people have to always ruin our dates."

He could see how stressed out she was about the whole situation and cupped her cheek with his hand.

"Shhh… this isn't your fault, so just calm down and relax. It'll be okay." He reassured her, stroking her chin with his thumb.

"But I'm just so sick of them Cory!"

"I know, but this is the price we have to pay, babe."

She knew he was right. She had chosen this lifestyle, and she did love it. She just wished that she could go on a normal date with her boyfriend without being publicly outed by the paparazzi.

They had to leave the restaurant together. There was no back entrance that could possibly help them get out of the path of the paparazzi.

"Are you ready?" Cory said calmly, grabbing her hand and squeezing it tightly.

"I guess." She grunted, appreciating his hand on hers and feeling for the door in front of her.

They burst through the doors quickly, wanting to get past the paps and to Cory's car as soon as possible.

They were both taken aback by the amount of cameras flashing in their direction.

There must have been 50 photographers all waiting outside the restaurant, calling their names as they walked down the steps of the restaurant and toward the parking lot.

The photographers had made a wall of cameras, forcing Lea and Cory to push their way through them.

Lea started to freak out as she felt the photographers poking at her and pushing her into their shot, wanting a good picture to sell.

"Hey!" Lea screamed out, "Get off me! What are you doing?"

That was it for Cory.

He wasn't going to let anyone touch his girl. Ever.

Pushing his way to the photographer that had a hold of Lea, he squared up to the man and protected Lea, standing in front of her.

"Get your filthy hands off of her you sum bag!" Cory yelled, taking the camera from the man's hand and throwing it on to the floor, "Go and get yourself a proper job and stop intruding in other people's lives. Understand?"

A look of fear swept over the photographer's face as he nodded quickly, bending down to pick up his damaged camera and dashed off to his vehicle.

"Come on." Cory grunted, pulling Lea under his arm and fighting off the paparazzi with his other arm, keeping her protected the entire time.

He didn't care who saw them anymore. It had taken up too much energy trying to hide from the rest of the world. He was proud to be with her, why couldn't he show her off to the world?

Under his arm, Lea was shaking just remembering what had happened.

She'd never had a bad encounter with photographers before, but that had definitely been an experience she'd remember for the rest of her life.

They finally made it to Cory's car.

She slipped inside quickly, watching Cory start up the engine and dash down the road away from where the photographers were still snapping pictures of them.

Lea couldn't believe it when she glanced back toward the restaurant and saw that a handful of photographers were running after their car, their cameras still fixated in their hands.

"Oh my god." Lea exhaled shakily, still worked up from her ordeal.

"Are you okay baby?" Cory said with concern, placing his hand on her knee, "I'd stop to comfort you but I'm pretty sure they're still following us."

"No keep driving babe," she said firmly, "I'm okay, but god was that guy a freak. I'm pretty sure he drew blood from my skin with digging his grimy fingernails into me."

Cory's mouth hung open. He had no idea that the photographer had actually hurt Lea.

"What the fuck?" Cory screeched, stopping the car and turning to look at his shaky girlfriend. "He hurt you?"

"Cory, it's nothing… Keep driving!"

"Show me what he did to you right now." Cory insisted, giving her a stern look, "Lea, i'm being serious. Show me."

She hesitantly pulled down her shirt over her shoulder and showed him the nip marks that the photographer and dug into her skin.

"Right that's it. I'm going back there and I'm going to give that fucking asshole a piece of my mind!"

"No Cory! Stop!" she squeaked, her breathing becoming faster with fear.

She'd never seen his eyes so wild before. He'd never been this pissed off at the media before in his life.

"No, I'm not having anyone hurting you!" he retaliated, starting the engine up again and turning the car around back to the restaurant.

"Cory! Stop right now!" she yelled, "It'll just make things worse if you go back and start a fight now. There are like 40 photographers there. If they get a picture of you having a scrap with another photographer, they'll write a bunch of crap about you in all the tabloids and they'll label you an agressve person. Please, Cory, don't!"

She was literally pleading him now. She didn't want him to get a bad name, he was the sweetest, kindest guy she had ever met.

He knew she had a point. Maybe he wasn't worth a black eye or a few painful bruises.

"Okay." He said finally, kissing her nose and turning his car back around again. "Let me take care of you when we get home though, okay? You'll need some antiseptic cream on that cut."

Although Lea was still scared out of her mind, she couldn't help but smile at how protective Cory was over her.

It made her feel like she and Cory really did belong together.

She was pretty sure he'd take a bullet for her if she were ever shot at.

And that's what made her heart swell.

He loved her too much.


	10. I'll Shout My Love From The Rooftops

There was a knock at her trailer door.

Lea was sat at her dressing table, tapping away on her iphone and still trying to wake up from the early morning alarm that she had just suffered through.

"It's open, come in!" she shouted, feeling too lazy to get up and open the door.

She rubbed her eyes and turned around to see Cory coming through the door, smiling.

"Morning sleepy head!" he said, laughing at her watery eyes.

She hit him playfully on the arm.

"Well, if you hadn't kept me out so late last night, I might not be so tired right now!"

"Well, it's a good job I prepared for your tiredness then!" he pulled out two cups of coffee from behind his back, and handed the bigger one to her.

She smiled at him. He knew her all too well. She couldn't start the day properly and productively without a good amount of coffee in her system.

"Thank-you, Cory." She giggled, placing a light kiss on his right cheek.

He sat down on a chair next to her dressing chair. He loved watching her transform into her character each morning. It had become a morning ritual between them on the mornings that they were called at 5am. Cory would get ready in his trailer quickly and promptly, as he only really needed to change into costume, and have a light touching of make-up. He would then make his way to Lea's trailer, and chat to her while she was getting into character. She was usually bright and bubbly by this time, but Cory knew that he had kept her out later, against her will the previous night on their date.

"You're welcome" he grinned, placing his hand on her knee.

He remembered that he had specifically come to her trailer to discuss a few things with her, this morning. His mood automatically changed. He felt his cheeks flushing red, and his palms getting sweaty.

"Listen, Lea. I need to talk you about something?"

Lea looked up at him, confused. He was never serious, but the tone of his voice was definitely bordering on it.

"Yes?" she raised her eyebrows in anticipation.

Cory gulped. He didn't know how to explain what he was about to tell her.

"W-Well did you read the news this morning?" he said, wincing.

"News? Like, world news?" she laughed. He knew she never kept up with world news. Her job kept her way too busy.

"Umm… well, more like celebrity news. I guess."

Lea rolled her eyes. She knew what was coming.

"Ugh! What've they said about me this time?" she said, clenching her fists and crunching up her eyes in frustration.

"Well. I just got off the phone with my manager..." Cory said, sounding a little calmer.

Lea was now even more confused. Why was Cory's manager calling him about an article on her?

"They know."

"Know what, silly?" she laughed, putting her hand on his cheek affectionately.

He looked her in the eye, apologetically.

"People saw us together last week, on Valentine's Day. I-I'm so sorry Lea. I know that you never wanted this, and I know that you didn't want people to know. But, apparently some woman who was at Il Covo when were there went to a magazine and told them that we were there. I'm sorry, Lea."

He felt so bad. He knew that she wanted to keep things hidden and on the down low. She wanted to be in this relationship, he knew that. But she just hated all the rumours and the gossip that came with her relationships. It made her feel unprofessional and cheap. He had literally begged her to go on a date with him in public, on the one day that he knew people would spot them.

Lea's eyes watered a bit with the news. She wasn't mad, she couldn't explain how she was feeling. She wanted to be with Cory more than anything, but she didn't know if she wanted to face all this drama at this point in her life.

"Cory, don't apologize. I'm not mad! It's not your fault." She said, sounding a lot calmer than he had expected.

He breathed out. He felt so relieved. The last thing he wanted was Lea to be upset with him. Especially on a day like today when they were spending the whole day shooting Finchel scenes.

"Let's be honest, Cor. We knew this day had to come at some point. I'm actually surprised we got away with it for this long!"

He loved how she always turned a problematic situation into something positive. Ever since he had met her, she had had that attitude. There was certainly no room for negativity in her life.

"I just… I feel awful though, Lea. I shouldn't have made you come out that night…" he wrapped his left arm around her, squeezing he shoulder.

"Would you shut-up! I had an amazing night! But you know what I enjoyed even more than the meal?" she teased him, batting her eyelashes.

"Why no I don't, Ms. Michele. What was it that you enjoyed more than the meal that I spent a fortune on?"

"The date we had after the meal" she made a winky face at him, before pulling him into a kiss.

They were interrupted a few seconds later when Lea's phone went off.

"Hello?" Lea said, pulling away from Cory and speaking into her cell. "Yes. I do know! Cory just told me. When did you find out?"

It was obviously her manager who was informing her of the news. Cory was glad that he got to tell her before anyone else did.

Lea hung up ten minutes later and slouched back into her chair angrily.

"What's going on?" Cory said, sounding concerned again.

"No, just my manager wants us to confirm our relationship through her, but I don't want to. I mean… please don't misunderstand me, I love being with you, and I'd love to show you off to the world. But, I just- I don't know. It unsettles me. I just feel like I need a little more time before we announce it to the world… you know?" she said, her voice getting increasingly shaky.

Cory pulled her into his chest and danced his fingers up and down her collar bone lovingly.

"No, Lea. I totally understand. You know I feel the same way, and more. So how about we do not confirm nor deny? I mean, they have nothing on us then, right?" Cory smiled.

"That sounds good to me. But what If everyone finds out? Like, Cory, who are we kidding? This is gonna spread pretty quickly."

Cory thought quickly on the spot.

"Well. My mum called last night. Maybe we could go to Vancouver over the weekend? Take a little break, relax, avoid all the paparazzi over the Oscars? We'd totally be out of the press's way."

This brought a smile to Lea's face. She was going to see his hometown with him. It made her feel so special, and loved.

"That sounds brilliant. I would love to go to Vancouver with you!" she said, reaching up on her tip toes and pulling her boyfriend into a heated kiss.

There was a knock at the door.

"It's Dianna! I heard about you guys being outed!" she shouted jokingly from outside the trailer.

Lea laughed, snuggling into Cory's chest.

"WE DON'T CARE!" she laughed back, walking over to the door and letting Di in.


	11. I'm Coming Home

It's 3:24am. The only place she wants to be right now is in a warm, cosy bed with her boyfriend's arms wrapped around her. Not on a long, uncomfortable international flight.

The wind outside the aircraft slaps hardly against the body of the plane, creating turbulence and disturbing the many sleeping passengers.

She hates flying alone. She wishes that she could have convinced her mum to come with her to Vancouver instead of flying straight back to NYC from London.

After the pilot makes a few announcements regarding the turbulence and finally turning the aircraft lights back down again, Lea decides it is probably best if she tries to get some sleep.

Popping in her iPod, she giggles when one of the first songs that plays on shuffle is 'Keep Me' by Bonnie Dune. No matter how far away from him she was, she couldn't seem to truly escape him.

Several hours later, the plane lights flash up and the seatbelt sign has been turned on.

"Ladies and Gentleman, the captain has turned the seatbelt sign on. Please return to your seat and prepare for landing."

She straightens up in her chair, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She had surprisingly fallen into a deep sleep. Maybe it had something to do with the two glasses of champagne that the air hostesses had handed to her at the beginning of the flight. She didn't care. She slept, and that was all that she cared about.

She feels for her handbag under the seat in front of her and pulls out a travel mirror. Gasping at the reflection staring back at her, she fumbles around for her make-up back.

After quickly applying some concealer, foundation and a brush of mascara to her upper eyelashes, she places the bag back under the chair and rests her head back onto the headrest. She knows Cory couldn't care less about how she looks, but still, there were bound to be paparazzi at the airport. The bastards followed her around everywhere.

After finally landing and receiving her luggage, she feels herself getting more and more excited about seeing Cory again. They'd only been apart for a week or so, but she'd grown so fond of his company that she truly felt a piece of her was missing without him there by her side.

An escort was waiting for her as she exited the arrivals terminal and he followed him as he led her to Cory's car in the parking lot. They'd agreed that it was best if Cory didn't make a physical appearance on this occasion. And, true to form as they'd expected, there were paparazzi waiting in the terminal, snapping pictures of her as she walked toward the parking lot. She sure made a good decision by putting make-up on before stepping off the flight.

"Here you are miss." The escort says pointing 2ft in front of him to Cory's car, "have a nice stay."

"I will, thank-you." She smiles back at him, shaking his hand.

She can see Cory inside his car, and her heart melts a little.

Sure he wasn't in the sexiest of situations, but even the sight of him made her feel so full of love.

"Well hello." He says as he watches her almost jump into the car.

He catches her eye, his own turning soft and falling deep into hers.

"Hi" she giggles excitedly, trying to stop herself from jumping on him,

"I missed you." He says, leaning over to her and stroking her jaw line gently with his index finger.

He cups his hand over her cheek and pulls her into a kiss.

Her fingers tangle through his messy hair, tugging at some of the follicles. His hands continue to cup her face as he pokes his tongue at her lips, gaining entrance and wrestling his tongue with hers in the process.

"Wow. You did miss me." She teases when she pulls back from the embrace, needing to breathe.

She sits back in her chair, her chest heaving from their impromptu make out session in his car, in the middle of the parking lot at Vancouver International Airport.

He chuckles at her comment, resting his hand on her knee.

"Yeah. I guess I did. Now, how much did you miss me?" he says, knowing exactly where this is going.

She puckers her lips and bats her long, inked eyelashes at him.

"This much."

She shifts her body so that she's practically sitting on his lap, and places hot open mouth kisses all over his neck. His fingers dig gently into her back as he catches his breath at the sensation.

Before she knew it, she felt his own tongue attack her neck. His lips slowly moving up her collar bone to her jaw. She moans into his mouth as he savages her mouth with his tongue once again.

"Cory…" she gasps between kisses, "there are paparazzi around. Let's go."

He pulls away, nodding his head as he catches his breath.

"I love you." She says, her hand turning his head back to look at her.

"I love you too, beautiful." He replies, kissing her nose softly.

"Now let's get out of here."


	12. I'm Sorry

"Cory?"

"Mhmmm?" he replied from the bathroom.

"Are you ashamed to be with me?" Lea finally said, wanting to cover her ears after hearing how weird that sentence had sounded.

There was complete silence.

Cory padded out of the bathroom seconds later with a confusion expression painted on his shaven face.

"What?"

"I think you heard what I said, Cory…" she responded sheepishly, looking down at the ground.

He knelt on the floor, coming into her sightline.

"What are you talking about?" he said, completely bewildered and caught off guard by her comment.

He took her hands and stroked them gently. How could she ever think that he was ashamed to be in a relationship with her?

"I'm talking about you." She exhaled, a cold expression lacing her tone, "about you being ashamed with being with me."

He was completely lost. He rose to his feet and sat himself down on the bed next to her.

It was never a good thing when Lea was quiet and avoiding eye contact with him. It was hard for her not to make simple contact with him every single time they opened their mouths to speak.

"Lea, you need to talk to me. I know you're unhappy. Tell me what's going on."

She turned to face him, her eyes clouding over with tears.

Now he knew this was really not good.

"Well. Let's start with the fact that you never invite me over to your place. We're always here. We're always doing my thing in my environment." Her voice began to crack and Cory knew that this wasn't going to be an easy conversation.

He wanted to pull her close to him, but he knew that she definitely would not appreciate that right at the moment.

Trying to search for words, he saw her trying to blink back tears. It obviously didn't work when he saw two salty droplets drop down her cheeks and on to her lap seconds later.

"Lea, I- I'm sorry." He started, not sure what he was going to say next. "I didn't know that was what you wanted. You know what it's like at my place Lee… there's 3 of us guys sharing a house. We'd never get any peace or privacy there. I just want you to feel comfortable with me. I wanted to avoid third parties interrupting our alone time. I'm sorry babe…"

He pulled her closer at this. She was getting pretty upset and he needed her to know he was there and listening to what she had to say.

"But, I don't understand why you always want us to hide Cory? It's like you don't want to be seen in public with me! You never want to go anywhere because you're scared we'll get seen. It's like you're not even happy in this relationship!"

She couldn't help but let out a stifled sob.

Her relationship with Cory meant the world to her. There was no way she could live with herself if she knew Cory was unhappy being with her.

Guilt rattled through Cory's body like a gunshot. He really had given her reason to doubt his happiness in the relationship.

The way she saw things were way different to the way he saw things. They needed to get back on the same page.

"Lea! Oh god, no!" he grunted, still wanted to kick himself for making her feel like this.

He kissed her cheek, wrapping his arms tightly around her small frame. She definitely wasn't reciprocating his affection, though.

"Okay, listen to me." He said, bringing his finger up to her chin and angling her head so that she was inevitably looking at him, "I am so happy being with you. I have never been happier. I love you and I love us. Being with you is like finally understanding what love is. I'm sorry if I gave you reason to think otherwise."

He could feel her melt a little under his words, but her muscles were still tense and tears kept pouring from her red eyes.

"The only reason that I am so careful about us being in public is because I love you, and I don't want you to get hurt."

He could see that she truly didn't understand what he meant, so he took her hand and stroked it gently, looking into her eyes with sincerity.

"I want to protect you. I want to protect what we share. I don't want the media getting a hold of our private lives and making up a load of bullshit that we both know isn't true." He wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb, "I don't want you to go through what all the other celebrity couples go through. You get enough of that on Twitter. I don't want you to go through that in real life. That's the only reason I'm so uncomfortable about us being so exclusive."

He could feel her relax in his arms. She let out a huge sigh, appreciating his tight hold on her body.

"Oh. Well, I guess that really does make sense. I'm so-"

"Lea, don't apologize. I'm the one who needs to apologize," he interrupted her, stroking her hair. "I gave you reason to feel like I was unhappy. But I'm not, darling. I'm far from it. I promise you."

He leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the lips, her whole body shuddering from his touch.

"Thank-you" she whispered, running her fingers through his hair, loving the feel.

"I love you so much Lea. Don't you ever forget that."

He gently pulled her down onto the bed with him, deciding to show her how much he really did love her.


	13. I've Got You

I've got you.

It was a Thursday evening and Lea was waiting for Cory to return from a meeting with his manager.

Deciding to be romantic, she started to prepare them a meal for when he came home undoubtedly hungry, as always.

Although Lea was a Vegan, she didn't mind cooking Cory meat. There was no way she would ever force him to be Vegan. A man his size wouldn't be able to function off just beans and veggies.

After slaving over their meal for an hour and a half, Lea heard the doorbell ring.

Her face crumpled in confusion. She wasn't expecting Cory for another 15 minutes and she hadn't set the table yet.

She unlocked the door, swinging it open expecting Cory to be standing on the patio in front of her.

It was most definitely not Cory.

"Th-Theo?" she gasped, hardly believing that he was stood in her doorway.

"I need to talk to you." he responded coldly, "Can I come in?"

Lea's heart rate picked up. She hadn't seen him since they'd broken up last September, and something about this whole situation unnerved her.

"Um, I guess so." she hesitated, fearing what would happen if Cory came back early.

Once they were both inside, there was a painful silence that plagued the room.

"So, what do you need to talk to me about?" Lea said, taking a seat on her sofa, making it clear that she wasn't enjoying his company.

"I knew it."

He had a wild look on his face.

"Knew what?" she questioned him, seriously confused.

"Are you honestly that stupid, Lea? I knew you left me for that tool!"

"Theo-" she choked, her voice cracking as she felt her emotions take over her body.

"No. You listen to me." he interrupted her, moving his face uncomfortably closer to hers, "Do you know how fucking ridiculous I look to the world? It's so obvious that you left me so you could play house with Cory fucking Monteith!"

"Theo! You know Cory had nothing to do with this!" she sniffed, tears starting to fall down her face.

"Oh really! Okay? You're telling me that your relationship with Cory played no part whatsoever in ending our relationship?" he yelled, his face turning redder and redder.

"Don't you dare bring Cory into this! You can blame him for our problems all you want, but you know that's not what it was all about!" she yelled back, wishing that she could go back in time and ignore the doorbell that rang.

"I can bring him into this if I fucking want to! The guy is a fucking asshole, Lea. I've never liked him. Never have. Never will. So you know what, don't come crying to me when he fucks up your life and breaks your heart."

He stared at her, his eyes wide with anger and his face bright red. He sniggered at the sight of the tears running down her face.

She was shuddering at the sound of his raspy voice. She had no idea why he was doing this to her. She'd honestly thought they'd closed off their relationship mutually.

"In fact, you know what, Lea?" he started to yell again after staring at her for a few seconds, "He can have you! You're not worth shit. I mean look at you, you're total mess."

"HEY!"

Theo and Lea both jumped when they heard Cory banging through the front door and running over to where they were conversing.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" he grunted, squaring up to the smaller man stood in front of him.

Cory could smell alcohol on Theo's breath. He glared at him, demanding an answer.

Theo just laughed.

"What did I do to her? Ha! What did YOU do to her! Look at her, she's a mess!"

Lea was curled up in a ball on the couch sobbing. She had never been so scared in her life. Her mascara had run all over her face and her eyes were swollen.

"You need to leave." Cory said, sidling closer to the man.

"Oh yeah? Well guess what, buddy? I was here first." he yelled in response, sitting down and turning toward Lea.

"Leave her alone, what is wrong with you?" Cory shouted, grabbing Theo's tshirt and pulling him back to his feet.

"Get your fucking hands off of me you ass." Theo said, pushing Cory's chest causing him to fall back a little.

Lea saw Cory's nostrils flare and his face flush red.

Before she could stop him, Cory pushed the man back. He never acted like this, he was always kind and reasonable, but he needed to get Theo away from his girl. He was becoming dangerous.

"You fucking asshole" Cory shouted taking a swing at Theo, only to miss.

After they'd both thrown a few punches at each other, Lea bounced to her feet and tried pushing Theo off of Cory.

"YOU NEED TO STOP!" she screamed, "Theo, get out! If you don't leave, i swear to god I will call the police!"

She was still sobbing. All she had wanted for this night was to spend time with her boyfriend. Not be harassed by her drunk ex-boyfriend who decided to blame all his troubles on her.

Theo shrugged and turned his back on the couple.

"Whatever. Fucking douchebag wasn't worth it anyway. I hope you two are very happy together!" he yelled, walking out the door and slamming it on the way.

Cory was still raging mad, especially when he saw Lea collapse on to the sofa, burying her sobs in the pillows.

"Baby, I'm here. It's okay. I've got you." he sat down next to her, pulling her body on to his lap and cradling her gently.

"Oh Lea, you're shaking. What did he do to you?" he questioned her, sounding concerned.

"N-No it's my fault. It's all my fault." she sobbed, her fingers digging into his back as she cried into his neck.

"What happened? That was definitely not your fault baby..." he rocked her back and forth, holding her tightly in his arms.

"He came to the door. And he said- he said that he looks bad to the world because of me. Be-because of us."

Cory was completely confused.

"Lee you're not making sense."

"He told me that he knew I left him for you. And he just blamed all his problems on me, you know? It is my fault Cory!"

"What? That's completely ridiculous..."

"Is it?" she cried, looking him in the eye, "sure we were going through problems... but honestly, one of the biggest reasons I wanted to break up with him was because I was in love with you."

He couldn't help but feel butterflies fly around his stomach.

"Oh, Lea..." he cooed, placing a kiss on her neck.

"See! It is all my fault. I couldn't help it though Cory! I couldn't keep pretending that I was happy with him! It was too exhausting..." she whimpered, wiping her nose with her sleeve.

Cory could tell she'd been bottling this up for months. It was just Theo's impromptu visit that let it all come to the surface.

"Listen to me Lea. Whether he agrees with it or not, you both broke up together. It was a joint decision." he brushed her tears away with his thumb, "the dude was wasted out of his mind, which is no excuse, but I'm sure he didn't truly mean half the things he said."

"I think he meant what he said about me looking a mess." she whimpered, covering her face with her hands.

"Stop it. You're beautiful." he kissed her head, cuddling her closer into him.

"I'm so sorry about this Cory. I was just so scared. If you hadn't come back when you did I think he may have hit me or something..." she snivelled, tightening her arms around him.

"Well he didn't. And if he had, he would've walked away from me with a lot more than a few premature bruises, trust me." he said softly, running his hand up and down her back, calming her.

She leaned up and kissed his lips sweetly.

"I-I made you dinner." she flashed him a watery smile, smoothing out her hair.

"I was wondering what that delicious smell was!" he smiled back, pecking her cheek with his lips.

"Come on. I made you steak."


	14. It's Gonna Be A Long Night

Prompt: cory and lea making out at the party

The music thudded through the walls of the hotel, vibrating every object within 10ft of the room.

Lea didn't usually like partying, but since she was in London with her man and her friends, she decided to live on the edge and attend the party.

"You wanna go in yet?" Cory said, slipping his arms around her waist from behind.

She offered him a weak smile, turning around in his arms to face him.

"Na-ah-ah" she teased, moving his hands away her behind, "none of that please. If you haven't noticed, we happen to be in public."

He pouted, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"You were fine with it at the Rangers Game…" his voice trailed off, intending for her not to her his comment.

She whacked his arm with her clutch. She'd definitely heard it.

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" she said, feeling her blood pressure rise a little.

"Come on, I was kidding!" he said, taking her arm and pulling her into him once again, "let's go and join the party."

Once they were in the ballroom, they found two spots at the bar and ordered themselves some drinks.

Just as they had settled down, Darren approached them, smiling.

They could both tell he'd had a few too many.

"Hey guys! How are you?" Darren laughed, wrapping his arms around Lea in a sweaty embrace.

"Hey dude, we're good! How's London treatin' ya?" Cory said cheerily, handing Darren a drink.

"Oh it's awesome. I mean really! The weather sucks, but what can you do?"

"Yeah I know right? I'm really starting to miss my sunbed." Lea said, frowning at her tanned skin that was starting to fade.

Matt eventually found his three co-workers at the bar and joined them for a while, making casual conversation about England and Glee and how they were spending their time off work.

"I better go," Darren said, "I told a girl 20 minutes ago that I was going to the bathroom. She'll think I've fallen down the bog or something."

"Yeah, me too. Better get back to making polite conversation with complete strangers!" Matt added sarcastically.

Cory and Lea both laughed, saying goodbye as the two men danced their way back across the ballroom dance floor.

"Do you know how beautiful you are?" Cory said suddenly, taking Lea's hand and stroking it gently.

She connected her eyes with his, shocked at his sudden romantic comment.

"How am I supposed to answer that question, Cory?" she smiled, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks burning.

"You're supposed to say 'Yes Cory, I do know how beautiful I am. '" he said, placing a kiss on her knuckles.

How had she managed to go 3 years without this man? She loved him so much, she felt her heart could burst at any moment.

"Thanks Cory. You're very sweet." She giggled, getting up out of her chair and placing a kiss on his cheek.

Even when she was stood up, Cory was taller than her sat on his chair.

He lost herself in his eyes, and he was pretty sure she was losing her own in his too.

She reached out her arms, clearly wanting one of his big bear hugs.

He quickly reciprocated her gesture and wrapped his arms around her back, holding her tightly.

She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, humming in appreciation of their body contact.

"Lea?" he whispered into her ear.

"Mhmmm?"

"There's a slow song playing."

"Yeah?" she said, her sound muffled by his shirt.

"Dance with me."

She hesitated at first but finally nodding her head as he took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"This remind you of anything?" he laughed as they slow danced to the soft music.

She knew he was talking about that day on set when they were filming the Season 3 Prom episode.

"Yeah, but this is ten times better." She smiled, looking up at her gorgeous, 6'3 boyfriend.

"Oh yeah?" he smirked, "why?"

She swallowed hard, clearing her throat and breathing deeply.

"Because I'm with you. We're not Finn and Rachel. We're not acting. It's just us. And that's why it's so much better." She said nervously, waiting for his response.

He grinned down at her, his heart about to explode.

"I love you Lea Michele" he said, cupping her face with his hands and taking her lips in his.

He could feel her sighing into the kiss, loving the feeling it was giving her. He deepened the kiss, poking his tongue through her lips and caressing every part of her mouth with it. Her out of control heartbeat vibrated against his chest which made him kiss her harder. He had no idea she had fallen this hard for him.

She pulled away gasping for breath, but once she'd refilled her lungs, she attached her lips right back on his.

She didn't care anymore. This was a private party. If any pictures were taken, she could sue literally everyone involved. But even that didn't matter to her anymore.

He started placing hot kisses on her neck, sucking her skin and nipping it with his front teeth.

She was getting a bit too excited now.

"C-Cory. Let's go." She said, giving him a look she knew he recognized.

"Okay" he smiled, knowing that the night had only just begun for them.


	15. Kiss Me In The Morning

Cory's eyes fluttered open, waking from a deep sleep.

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, his face erupted into a smile when he saw the beautiful, sleeping woman lying in his arms.

Her face was bare and natural. She must've taken all her make up off late last when they had gotten in from the party.

He loved her like that. She was the most beautiful woman in the world with or without make up.

He watched her sleep. Her small chest bobbing up and down with every breath she took.

After 20 minutes of watching her peacefully sleep, she stirred in his arms and gently awoke from her slumber.

"Good morning beautiful" he said, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

She smiled, bringing her hand to his face and stoking his cheekbones.

"Morning. What time is it?"

He snapped his gaze to their nightstand, quickly reading the time off of the alarm clock.

"It's 11:49am"

"Hmmm I love sleeping in" she exhaled, snuggling herself further into his chest.

He rested his chin on top of her head, his arm wrapped tightly around her tiny waist.

"Well you need it, Lee. You work yourself too hard, you have to catch up sometime."

"Oh don't you be silly. You work just as hard as me!"

"That's so not true." He said, kissing her lips once more in appreciation. "So, what does Ms. Michele want to do today?"

Her eyes widened at her question.

"Ms. Michele doesn't mind was she does today, as long as she is with Mr. Monteith."

"Oh really?"

"No, Cor. I'm totally kidding. I want you to drop me in the middle of Trafalgar Square and just leave me there without any sense of direction." She rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed with his constant smart arsing.

"Okay then. Let's go!" he laughed, jumping on top of her and tickling her sides with his large hands.

"Cory. I was trying to be romantic." She said, getting clearly annoyed.

He ignored her and decided climbing on top of her and being obnoxious was a better idea.

"Cory! Stop! Please stoooooooop!" she cackled trying to break free from his grip. "Be careful of your finger! If I kick you in the balls, it's going to be an accident! LET ME GO!"

He finally let her free, watching her frown at him and throw herself back under the covers.

"Oh. Baby Lea is sulking." He said in a babying tone.

"Go away. I don't like you." Her voice muffled from underneath the duvet.

"I think you do."

"Well, I think I don't!"

He knew she was only really having a laugh, but he honestly couldn't stand it when she said things like that. They'd both sacrificed so much for each other.

He gently pulled back the covers, revealing her pouting lips and pointed eyebrows.

"You love me."

He placed soft kisses along her collar bone, sucking on her smooth skin and nipping it lightly with his teeth.

His mouth finally met hers, engaging in a long, hot kiss.

"Of course I love you dummy." She gasped, pulling away from the kiss.

His plan had work. She had totally melted under his touch.

She had totally gone soft on him now.

He didn't say anything, continuing to kiss every part of her face.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him a few more times before finally getting up and making her way to the bathroom.

"Come on. Let's go and get some lunch." She said, sliding a brush through her hair.

"Whatever you say, darling." He said, mocking a British accent.

Lea's eyes widened. Had his pathetic attempt to imitate a British accent really just turned her on?

He watched her reappear in the doorway, a lusty look in her eyes.

"Or… we could just stay here?" she giggled, jumping on to the bed and climbing on top of him.

"Hmm… I like that idea better."


	16. Kiss You Better

She felt terrible.

She knew she shouldn't have come to work today, but they had a lot of scenes to shoot and she didn't want to put them anymore behind schedule than they already were.

Her head felt as though it was going to explode any minute and her voice was raw and hoarse when she spoke.

She'd spent the entire night awake, battling with her pounding head.

"Lea…" she heard Ryan call from the other side of the set, "Are you okay?"

"Um.. yeah, I'm just a bit under the weather, that's all." She lied, stifling a cough.

"Hmm… Okay then." Ryan responded, clearly unconvinced, "Let me know if you wanna take off early."

She nodded, turning back to her mark where they were about to start filming.

"Hey!"

She heard Cory's voice boom through the room, hearing it in her head a lot louder than it actually was.

She had no time to respond before he wrapped his arms around her and trapped her weak body in a hug.

"Hi!" she croaked, pulling away from him.

He took one look at her and knew she was pretty sick.

"Oh Lea… you don't sound good at all." He sounded really concerned and grabbed her hand.

"I-I'm fine Cory…" she said, her voice splitting and making her cough.

"No, you're not fine." He insisted.

Her eyes were watery and she kept sniffing. She definitely wasn't fine.

He put his hand to her forehead, feeling her body temperature.

"Oh my god Lea, you're seriously burning up."

Before she had time to protest, he turned his back on her and darted over to Ryan, explaining to him how high Lea's temperature was.

A minute later her returned to her side and grabbed her hand.

"Go and get your bag, we're leaving." He squeezed her hand, kissing her on the forehead.

"B-but we have to-"

"Baby, you're sick. You need to rest. Ryan and I both agree. There's no way we can get anything productive done today if you're really not feeling well." He interrupted her, throwing her bag over his shoulder and wrapping his free arm around her waist as they walked.

She wasn't impressed. She never missed a day of work. Messing the cast and crew about were one of Lea's biggest fears.

"Well what are you doing?" she coughed, groaning at the pain in her throat.

"Oh, you think I'm gonna let you drive home and spend the day all on your own?" Cory smiled down at his pale girlfriend, "My girl needs some serious TLC."

A smile crept over her face. Cory really did make her feel loved no matter what.

Concern rattled over Cory's body when Lea started shaking and shivering on the drive back to her house.

He decided to pull up at a local pharmacy and buy her some medicines.

Once he had returned to the car where he had left Lea, he felt somewhat relieved when he found her sleeping peacefully.

10 minutes later, Cory pulled up in Lea's driveway. Lea was still fast asleep and he really did not want to wake her.

He gently peeled her out of her seat and carried her into the house in his strong arms.

"It's okay baby, it's just me." He whispered into her ear when she stirred a little in her sleep.

As soon as he had unlocked the front door and let himself in, he laid her on her bed.

He took her shoes, sweat pants and jacket off as he slipped her small body under the covers and tucked her in.

Beauty even took over her when she was sick and asleep. He couldn't help but feel his chest tighten, feeling how much he loved the sleeping girl laid out in front of him.

He watched her sleeping for a few minutes before making his way to the lounge, flicking on the TV and settling himself down to watch the NHL highlights.

2 hours later, Cory heard coughing from Lea's room.

"Hey baby..." He soothed, poking his head in the doorway and watching her recover from her small coughing fit.

"Hey" she croaked, wiping the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Feeling any better?" he sat down on the bed next to her, swinging his arm over her shoulders.

"Not really." She sighed, closing her eyes, trying to soothe the strain on them.

"Well, let's see if I can't make you feel better."

He got up and walked over to her nightstand where he had prepared a basket full of remedies.

The hamper consisted of ibuprofen, throat losengers, cool packs, canned chicken soup, a bunch of old movie musicals and some honey lemon tea packages.

He placed the hamper down on the bed next to her as her eyes widened in interest.

"Wh-where did you get all this?" she smiled weakly, reaching for his hand.

"I stopped off on the way home to get you some stuff. We're going to have a 'Let's make Lea feel better day'" he kissed her forehead, but pulled away when he felt how clammy it was.

"Okay, but the first thing we're gonna do is bring your fever down. Once we get that under control, you'll feel much better."

She couldn't help but smile at how kind and loving he was being.

"Gosh Cory, you must really love me to do all this for me."

"Oh you have no idea babe." He cooed, kissing her neck before jumping up to assist her with her medication.


	17. Loving You

"Come on Cory! I want to start it already!"

Lea was sprawled out on the couch wrapped in a blanket, waiting for Cory to return with a bowl of popcorn.

They'd been apart for 2 weeks and Cory had just returned from Japan, she was eager to spend some proper quality time with him.

He'd surprised her by getting hold of a copy of her interview on Bethenny ahead of time.

"I'm here, calm down crazy!" he said, placing the bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table and arranging himself comfortably on the couch, so that Lea was lying between his legs, her head resting on his chest.

"Can I press play now?" she squeaked, reaching for the remote.

"Yes, darling. You can." He laughed, munching on popcorn.

She pressed play, watching the screen intently as Bethenny introduced her to the live audience.

"My god Lee. You look stunning"

"Aw thanks babe. I love that outfit!" she smiled, feeling his arms tighten around her.

He laughed hard as he saw how excited she was on the show. How she was gushing over meeting Bethenny and telling her how much she loved her.

"You. Are. So. Adorable." He punctuated each word with a kiss on her head.

"_**You wanna have children eventually?"**_

"_**I mean definitely! I'm Italian! I wanna have like, as many as I can!"**_

Cory took the remote and paused the screen, sitting up on the sofa.

"You… you want kids?" he said quietly, feeling her sit up and face him.

"Well, yeah, of course I do." She said sheepishly, feeling a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

"How come we've never talked about it then, Lea?" he said, feeling for her hand.

She took a deep breath in, trying to organize all of the thoughts running through her mind.

"I-I didn't think you were that serious about me."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wasn't sure if he felt angry or guilty.

"What are you talking about? I am so serious about you, Lee! Do you think I would've taken this relationship to the next level if I wasn't serious about you?" he spluttered, feeling his cheeks redden.

"Well, you never mentioned it either, Cory."

"Yeah, because I was waiting for the right time. I had no idea you wanted to have children. I would've mentioned it straight away had you given me some sort of hint."

She felt guilty and buried her face in her hands in frustration.

He could see she was getting worked up about the situation and he pulled her into his arms, holding her closely.

"Lea. I am so serious about you. If you don't know that by now, then I'm not doing a very good job of being your boyfriend…"

"That's not tru-" she started, only to be silenced by his finger in front of her lips.

"Please, just let me talk, okay?" he said softly, stroking her hair.

"I can't see myself with anyone else but you. I've been in love with you since we met almost 4 years ago now. You know that. Do you think that the thought of marriage and us starting a family has never crossed my mind?" he squeezed her hand, snuggling her further into him, "of course I have! Hell, I probably thought about that even before we got together."

She sat up, turning to face him once again.

"Really?" she choked, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes.

"Really. And when the time is right, everything will fall into place. I promise. I'm not planning on going anywhere. And I seriously hope you aren't either."

"Dummy. Of course I'm not. Do you really think I'm in a position to ever let you go?" she chuckled, his hands caressing her face.

"I want to marry you Lea, one day. But I know you know that now is not the right time. Our lives are far too busy and I don't want to put that sort of pressure on you, okay? But you need to know that I am in this for the long run. I want to start a family with you. One day."

She couldn't help but let a sneaky tear escape her eye and roll down her cheek.

He kissed the tear away, placing more kisses on her cheeks and neck.

"I love you so much Cory Monteith."

He ignored her comment and continued to place hot open mouth kisses along her jawline and down her chest. She shuddered when he reached her sweet spot just above her collar bone.

She pealed his lips away from her skin, and crushed her own lips between them.

He gently sucked at her lips, enjoying every second of their embrace before their lack of oxygen decided to pull them apart.

"Cory?" she questioned, her chest bobbing up and down frantically.

"Yeah babe?" he said, pulling her back into his lap and snuggling her back down again.

"Have you ever wondered why we didn't get together sooner?"

"Yeah. But I know why we didn't?"

He wasn't answering her question the way she had hoped and she was becoming increasingly impatient.

"Well… why then?"

"Because we're both professionals. We were too scared to admit our feelings for each other because strictly professionals. You know, the whole 'work and pleasure' don't mix thing?"

Lea grunted and shook her head.

"Well, yeah, I agree, that was part of it. But there were more reasons than that for me…" she said, rubbing circles on his knees.

"And what may they be?"

"I guess the fact that we made such an unbreakable bond from the very beginning, and I didn't want to ruin things completely if things didn't work out. I was happy with loving you from a distance, rather than starting something up and then suffering a horrible break up and not having you in my life at all."

He smiled. Her theories were so dramatic and crazy.

"Well you never have to worry about that babe, okay. We have a future together remember, and we always will. Cross my heart and hope to die."

"You're the best real boyfriend ever."

She took the remote and turned the T.V off completely.

She clambered on top of his body and attacked his neck with kisses and playful nips.

He wasted no time in reciprocating her kisses, darting his tongue through her mouth and playing with her own tongue affectionately.

After a few minutes of light making out, she jumped off of him and rose to her feet.

"Come on, let's take this somewhere more suitable."

"Oh, if you insist." He breathed, accepting her offer immediately and following her to her large, private bedroom.


	18. Shake It Off

It was calm and quiet on the plane.

Cory glanced at his watch. 4:24am.

He was enjoying watching his beautiful girlfriend indulge in a well-deserved sleep.

Her head was resting on his lap, which really restricted any movement for him, but he really didn't care.

He sometimes worried about how hard she was working herself, and how she needed to slow down and take it easy. It gave him a peace of mind just watching her slumber.

He started to nod off to sleep, leaning his chair back matching up with Lea's chair, and snuggled her closer to him.

He must've been asleep 30 minutes before he heard his name being called.

"Cory!" she whispered, squeezing him tightly.

"Yeah? What's up babe?" he croaked, sitting up.

She threw her arms around him, holding him tightly.

"The plane keeps bobbing up and down and it's freaking me out." She gasped, trying to stay calm.

He looked around the plane, seeing that several other passengers had woken up due to the plane's movement.

"Oh it's okay, Lee… it's just a little turbulence." He said, kissing her cheek and holding her close.

"I hate it. See, this is why I don't fly alone."

He feel hear her heart rate increase and her breathing pick up. He had no idea why she was getting so worked up by the turbulence.

"Well you're not flying alone. You have me here, right by your side." He smiled down at her, hoping that he'd calmed her down a little.

"Ohhhh Cory, I hate hate hate this." She squealed, hanging onto his arm and burying her face into his arm.

He stroked her face, wanting to chuckle at how cute she was being.

"Is it over yet?" she whined, her sound muffled by Cory's arm.

"_**Ladies and Gentleman, due to some unexpected turbulence, the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign. Please return to your seat and remain seated until told otherwise." **_

"Does that answer your question?" he joked, his eyes meeting hers.

His expression quickly changed when he saw that there were tears in her eyes.

"Oh hey, Lea… calm down, it's going to be okay!" he soothed, cradling her head with his hands.

"No, I know! I'm sorry, I'm such a baby. It's just… I had a really bad experience once on a flight with turbulence, and it's just coming back to haunt me right now." She whimpered wearily, nuzzling her head into Cory's chin.

"Well. I promise you it's going to be okay baby. Nothing back is going to happen to you this time." He kissed her nose, placing a few more sweet kisses on her neck.

She finally drifted back off to sleep in his arms, after feeling the turbulence finally reduce to a mere shake every so often.

He didn't know what had happened with her 'bad experience', but it must have been pretty awful from what he gathered.

She never got worked up over little things like turbulence.

He shrugged off the thought and placed a kiss on her head before leaning both of their chairs back and falling back into a deep sleep.


	19. Simple

Tapping his fingers rhythmically, Cory glanced anxiously at the clock that was placed at the top of Lea's mantelpiece.

11:47pm.

She'd promised him that she'd be back between 11-11:30pm.

Exhaling deeply, he laid back onto the couch, trying to relax given the circumstances.

Darren Criss had just returned to LA from doing a short run on Broadway in 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'

Lea had called him earlier in the day to arrange a get together, just so he could tell her all about his adventures in NYC. She decided to call up Jonathon, who also happened to be in town, and invite him along to their little rendez vous.

Normally Cory would've been supportive of her idea, but there was just something about Lea's relationship with Darren that made him completely uneasy.

There was no doubt that Darren was a flirt. Everyone on set knew that. He was always the one complimenting the girls and flashing his charming personality at every opportunity he got.

Jealousy had been bubbling up inside of Cory ever since he met Darren.

Not to be mistaken, Cory got on extremely well with the man. He respected him as a person and appreciated his overwhelming amount of talent.

But the way that Darren was always complimenting his girl and always pulling her into long embraces made him extremely uncomfortable.

He knew it was wrong to feel the way he did, but he couldn't help picture Lea appreciating Darren's company rather than his own.

Cory knew he was no Broadway star. He was no big shot Musical Theatre actor who had spent 10 years on the stage before bursting onto the small screen. Lea was, though. And so was Darren. The thought of her being more compatible to him than himself scared him.

Hearing a key turn in the lock of the front door, Cory rose to his feet and leant his body against the hallway wall, waiting for her to enter through the door.

"Hey!" she squeaked, her eyes lighting up at the sight of him.

He watched her close the door behind her and place her coat in the cloak closet.

"Hi." He finally responded, sounding monotone and uninterested.

It was an awful feeling that was surging through his body, but he couldn't help but show it. He was super, super jealous of Darren.

"Is everything okay, Cory?" Lea said, a smile still on her face as she reached up on her tippy toes and placed a kiss on his nose.

"Um. Yeah. Sure." Cory shrugged, not reciprocating her affection.

It was unusual for him not to kiss her back, so Lea knew something was definitely up.

"Don't lie to me." She said simply, pulling him over to the lounge and sitting him on the couch, "Tell me what's wrong."

Avoiding her eyes, Cory grunted and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration at the whole situation.

He didn't know how to explain to her what he was feeling without sounding like a total jackass.

"No." he said, finally making eye contact with her, "Nothing is wrong."

A wave of anger flew across Lea's face. She wasn't amused at all at his behaviour.

"Cory, what's going on with you? I thought we were together? I thought this is what couples did… you know, tell each other everything?"

She was angry and she made no attempt to cover up her annoyed tone.

"Fine!" Cory said, pulling her down to the sofa next to him.

She caught his sharp eyes in her gaze before he opened his mouth to speak again.

"I'm sick of how Darren always acts like he owns you. I'm sick of the way he flirts around you and makes you feel all the things that I'm supposed to make you feel. I'm sick to death of how he always talks about you in every single interview that he does!" Cory exploded, his voice loud and think in anger.

Lea couldn't help but be taken aback by his frustration. She had no idea he was feeling all the things that he was. Although it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel guilty.

Cory held his head in his hands, his face still red from his outburst.

"Cory?"

She pulled his hands away from his face and brought her hand up to stroke his cheek, cupping it with her own hand gently.

He stared up at her, his eyes automatically softening a little as he started to fall into her deep brown eyes.

"Listen to me," she inhaled, still caressing his cheek, "Darren is a friend. That is all he is ever going to be. He doesn't make me feel a fraction of the things that you make me feel. He doesn't make me feel loved or special or beautiful or important like you make me feel. I have a special connection to you and only you. Do you think I'd be with you right now if I had that same connection with Darren?"

She smiled softly into his gaze, feeling him swallow hard, trying to hide his emotion.

"I love you. Do you honestly think I would've sacrificed our working relationship and our friendship if I wasn't serious about being with you? You're the only one for me, Cor. I'm so sorry that you didn't know that until now."

For the first time in his life, Cory was truly lost for words.

The girl in front of him meant the world to him. He'd only felt jealous of Darren because he was so scared of losing her to him.

"I'm so sorry." He finally said, squeezing her hand affectionately, "You must think I'm the most anal, controlling boyfriend in the world."

"Not at all." She responded, smiling at the sincerity of his apology, "I just think you need to realize that my heart only has room for one guy. Any guesses as to who that guy may be, Mr Monteith?"

She giggled sweetly when he leaned down and smacked his lips into his, squeezing his tongue between her lips, parting them for her and allowing himself access into her mouth.

He heard her moan into the kiss, sighing when he ran his tongue along her own. Maybe she wasn't pissed at him after all.

"Hmm.. I dunno. Could it possibly be me?" he grinned, answering her original question once they pulled their lips away from each other.

Giggling, she threw her head back onto the couch and motioned him to crawl on top of her.

He did as he was told and gently placed himself on top of her fragile body, being careful and propping himself up on his shoulders so not to squash her underneath him.

"You bet." She finally responded, extending her neck up to his face so that she could place a slow, meaningful kiss on his lips.

Needless to say when the night was over, Cory definitely felt bad for Darren knowing what he was missing out on.

But she was his and he was hers.

That's all there was to it.

Simple.


	20. Take Care of Yourself

Touching the wall, she tried to steady herself, preventing herself from falling.

Dizziness had taken over her body and she couldn't see straight anymore.

Naya glanced over at her friend with a cautious eye.

She'd noticed that Lea hadn't been herself on set all day.

Just as Naya was about to walk up to Lea and ask her if she was okay once again, she saw her small, fragile body hit the auditorium floor with a thud.

"Oh my god!" Naya yelled, running over to Lea's unconscious body.

Kevin, Mark, Heather and Jenna all joined Naya, rushing toLea's side.

"What's going on?" Ryan questioned his stray cast members who had missed their queues.

He didn't really need an answer when he saw Lea lying on the floor.

"I-I don't know what happened!" Naya squeaked, pouring water over Lea's forehead, "she just collapsed."

Lea's eyes suddenly fluttered open, feeling the cool water trickle down her cheeks.

"Oh my god Lea. Are you okay?" Ryan said, sitting on the ground next to her, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Wh-What happened?" she stuttered, hardly able to form her words.

"You just collapsed. I was coming over to see if you were okay because you looked extremely pale, but as I did, I saw you fall to the ground." Naya said shakily, kneeling beside Lea and placing her hand on her forehead.

"We should call the medic, Ryan. She's pretty warm."

Nodding, Ryan lifted Lea to her feet with Mark and Kevin's help.

"Where's Cory?" Lea croaked getting more and more distressed.

"He wasn't needed for filming so Ryan suggested he go and get us all coffee seeing as though we're filming until 1am tonight." Kevin explained, helping her walk over to her chair off the side of the set.

"I don't even remember." Lea choked, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes.

Nausea completely took over her body. She had no idea what was making her feel so rotten.

Once she had taken a few sips of Kevin's water, she felt well enough to walk back to her trailer and wait for the FOX medic to meet her.

10 minutes later, Cory walked on to the set with 20 starbucks coffees in his arms.

He handed a coffee to each cast member until he realized his favourite one was missing.

"Hey guys, where's Lea?" he questioned them, scanning the room for her petite frame.

"Oh god, Cory… she's in her trailer with a medic." Jenna said with concern, taking a sip of her coffee.

His eyebrows crumpled into a confused frown.

"Wait, what?" he said somewhat angrily, "what the hell happened?"

"We don't know. She just collapsed as we were about to film the number." Naya said with sincerity, walking over to Cory.

Putting his coffee down on the floor, he reached for his phone that was sitting in his pocket.

"And none of you thought to call or text me?" he grunted in annoyance, checking his messages and seeing that he hadn't had a single text off them or Lea.

"What, Lea didn't call you?" Mark chimed in, not really paying attention, but hearing enough to know what they were all talking about.

"No, she didn't." he said bitterly, "where is she again?"

"Her trailer. The medic is checking her over. Ryan went with her, he didn't want her to be alone." Jenna said cautiously, waiting for Cory's reaction.

He had never felt more awful in his life.

His boss had to take care of his girlfriend because he wasn't there for her when she needed him.

The one thing Cory had always promised Lea, besides loving her and cherishing her no matter what, was to always be there for her.

The thought of Lea's small body shutting down and collapsing to the floor made him want to vomit.

"Thanks." Cory quickly said before picking up his speed and dashing to Lea's trailer, which was a good 5 minute walk away.

He made it there under 2 minutes later and knocked fiercely on the door.

"Oh hey Cory," Ryan said quietly, answering the door, "Come in."

Cory quickly stepped inside the trailer and saw Lea led on her sofa under a blanket, her head propped up on several pillows.

The medic was sat by her side, his eyes fixed on a monitor measuring Lea's blood pressure.

"Lea, what the hell happened?" he freaked, striding over to her side and kneeling to meet her face.

"I'm okay, Cory. Really." She said, trying to defer the attention he was giving her.

"No you're not okay. You're definitely not okay, Lea! What happened? Why didn't you call me?" he squeaked, his voice thick with concern and worry.

"Well I don't know what happened myself! I just woke up on the ground. I can't remember anything that happened before!" she quivered, her voice shaking.

He pressed a loving kiss to her clammy forehead, reaching his arm around her shaky body and holding her close.

"I almost had a heart attack when I got to set. Thank god I didn't get here and you'd been rushed to hospital." He said fearfully, trying not to freak out on her any more than he already had.

"Right. I better get back to set then. Cory you stay with her and don't leave, okay?" Ryan said firmly.

"Oh my god, don't worry. I most definitely will not leave her." Cory said, watching his boss exit the trailer and close the door behind himself.

He looked down at her pale face. It made his heart break to see her so sick and unhappy.

"Um, do we know what caused her to collapse yet?" Cory asked the medic anxiously.

"Yeah." He responded almost automatically, "she collapsed due to exhaustion. Her blood pressure is way too high, or in her case, higher than it should be for someone of her size. The lack of sleep mixed with stress and physical exhaustion led to her body just ultimately shutting down without any warning. She needs to rest. I have to go back to my post, but please stay with her and make sure she drinks plenty of fluids and takes pain killers if needed."

The medic picked up his things and left, after Lea croaked a quick "Thanks" to him.

It was one thing to be told she was sick, but it was another to be told that it was due to something self inflicted.

Or rather, something that other people were inflicting on her. She had officially worn herself out trying to please everyone around her and not taking care of herself in order to do so.

"Oh, Lea!" he cooed, kissing her cheek, "what did you do to yourself? I told you that this would happen to you if you didn't take it easy!"

"I'm sorry!" she said, choking back tears, "I didn't mean to cause such a big fuss. I didn't realize I was that exhausted and stressed."

He slipped himself under her body on the couch, resting her head on his chest as he massaged her head, earning moans and sighs in return.

"You're not superwoman, Lee. You need to take care of yourself, okay? Your health is so important. Please don't ever do this to me or yourself again. Next time you might actually end up in hospital." He warned her softly, feeling the worry leave his body with every nod of her head. She agreed with him.

"I love you." She whispered, leaning up to kiss his chiseled chin.

"I love you too. Now let's go to sleep." He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tightly, "I know how tired you are, so just give up the fight. Sleep."

He laid there in her trailer, holding her in his arms as they slept for 3 hours.

At 1am when shooting had finished on set, he carried her into his car and drove her home, spending the rest of the night and the entirety of the next day spooning in her bed.

There was no way he was letting her go back to work until she was fully rested.

Lea Michele was superwoman to everyone else, but was just a young, normal woman to him. He needed to take care of his girl.


	21. Take Me Now

She rubbed her index finger up and down his knee and, surprisingly, felt his immediate reaction to her small gesture against her thigh.

They were led on the sofa. Her legs were sprawled over his legs and his arm was wrapped around her waist.

"Oh." she said, a slight smile creeping across her face, "is that the way it is?"

He felt his cheeks redden, but exhaled confidently.

"Yeah, I guess it is." he reached his hand over her waist, pulling her on top him.

She swung her leg over his lap, straddling him while he placed hot open mouth kisses all over her neck and collar bone.

She let out a lusty sigh.

The evening had started so innocently. They'd been cuddling on the sofa watching a movie after a long day of sitting by the pool and eating platters of exotic fruits.

She'd had no idea he was so turned on before they'd started fooling around.

He continued to place wet kisses along her neck, slowly moving down to her chest and around her breasts. She moaned as she felt his hot touch against her skin.

She leaned up and kissed his mouth, her tongue immediately slipping into his mouth and wresting with his own.

He tangled his fingers in her hair as he pulled up her shirt with his free hand. She helped him wriggle the shirt off, exposing her bra covered chest to him.

"My god. You are. So fucking. So fucking beautiful" he said between kisses and catching his breath.

"Take it off" she grunted, giving him permission to remove her bra.

He reached around her back and fiddled with the clasp, struggling to get it off.

She continued placing kisses on his cheeks, sucking on his skin lightly but being more careful than him and not leaving a mark.

Just as he had unclasped her bra, they both heard a voice coming from outside Lea's front door.

"Lea! It's Jon! I have something I need to talk to you about!"

She heard Cory moan as she sat up, fastening her bra back up again and pulling her tshirt down over her head.

"Now Cory, we'll have less of that." she giggled loving how pissed he was at not being able to have his way with her there and then, "you can have me later."

She flashed a cheeky wink at him before turning to open the front door and letting her best friend in.


	22. The First Kiss

He loves her.

He always has.

He fell for her the second her met her but was too scared to admit it to himself.

He was a professional. A professional actor.

Professional actor's didn't date their co-stars, right?

Every time he sees her, his palms grow sweaty, his heart races and his brain turns to mush. He can't have a productive conversation with her anymore, he can't help but fall into her big, beautiful eyes and losing his train of thought.

He knows his heart is going to ache for her until he finally makes the first move.

She must see this coming? She must know about how he feels. He makes it so obvious.

He decides the time is now. This is it.

He reaches for his cell, his hands shakily unlocking it and dialing Lea's number, which he now knows off by heart.

"Hello!" She answers, speaking in her normal, happy tone.

"Hey Lea! It's Cory" he responds just as bubbly as she had.

Her heart flutters on the other side of the line, a smile creeping its way across her mouth.

"Hey Cor, what's up?"

His stomach is in knots and he can hardly breathe. He wishes he'd never called her now. He didn't want to ruin their perfect friendship, but now he'd gone and ballsed it all up. There's no way she'd ever want to date him.

"Um. I know this sounds a bit strange, but I was wondering if I could pop over? I need to talk to you about something."

Lea didn't quite understand his tone, her eyebrows dipping into a frown.

"Oh, yeah, sure! Is everything okay?"

She sounded concerned and that freaked Cory out even more.

"Oh no! Nothing is wrong, don't worry!" he says quickly, running his sweaty palms through his hair.

"Okay great. I'll open a fresh bottle of wine then!" she giggles, getting off her sofa and toward her vanity to make herself presentable for Cory's visit.

"Brilliant. See you in 20 minutes!"

"Perfect!" she breathes, hanging up the phone and frantically applying make-up to her bare face.

After a long day on set, the last thing she was expecting was an impromptu visit from Cory.

The thought of spending time with Cory alone made her giddy and weak in the knees. She couldn't help herself from feeling just a little nervous.

Her sudden realization of her feelings toward him hit her like a truck. Holding her head in her hands, she realized that she was in love with Cory.

It all makes sense to her now. Recently she'd been so happy around him and she'd even been feeling butterflies flutter about her stomach in his presence. How could she not have noticed sooner that she was seriously emotionally invested in this boy.

"Oh god." she whispers, staring at her reflection in the mirror "what the hell am I gonna do?"

15 minutes later, Lea hears the doorbell ring.

She doesn't know what to do with herself, or what is about to happen, but she hastily makes her way to the door.

"Hi" he says once she has unlocked the door and let him in.

"Hi"

She catches his eye and they hold contact for a few seconds, almost losing themselves in the each others eyes.

"I-I brought you these."

He pulls out a huge bouquet of flowers from behind his back. They're just like the ones that Finn had given Rachel on Bow Bridge in NYC.

Her heart skips a beat.

"Cory! You didn't need to do that dummy!" she beams, taking them out of his grip and pulling him into the lounge.

After she sets the flowers in a vase and places them on her dining table, she joins him on the couch, wine in hand.

"So. I came here because I wanted to talk to you about something." he chokes out.

He can feel his legs shaking and his heart going crazy. He really wishes he was not in this position right now, but he knows that he can't go on loving her from a distance anymore, it may kill him.

"Yes..."

He can hear the nerves in her own voice. Did she know what was going on already?

"Um. Well. Recently, i've come to realize a few things." he starts, not sure where the hell he is going, just letting the words flow out of his mouth in a hurry. "I know this is going to be hard for you to hear, but I need you to know that I care about you. Like a lot."

He watches to see her reaction, but he can't read her that well. She looks confused.

"What I mean to say-" he quickly says, trying to save himself, "is that over the past three years, your friendship has meant so much to me. We've been through a lot together, you know? And I think now is the right time to tell you..." his voice trails off, his eyes connecting with hers.

Her cheeks are flush red and she can feel tears pricking at the back of her eyes. She knows what's coming.

"... to tell you that- that i've fallen in love with you."

His eyes widen as he hears the word 'love' fall out of his mouth so easily. Too soon. He's said it too soon, he can see it in her face.

She's smiling. Tears are brimming in her eyes but she refuses to let them fall. She clears her throat ready to speak.

"Well, I guess that's a good job then." she croaks, looking deep into his eyes, "because i'm pretty sure that i've fallen in love with you too."

He can't believe what he's hearing. How could he not see that she was in love with him too? Had he honestly been so tied up in his own feelings that he couldn't see hers?

His heart did flips in his chest. He looked down at her beautiful face, just wanting to kiss her soft, pink lips.

Before he knew it, he was pressing one of his hands to her face, cupping it gently. He stroked her soft skin with his thumb and tangled his fingers in her hair with his other hand.

They didn't say anything. They were completely silent.

Cory couldn't help himself anymore. He just had to kiss her.

He titled his head and leaned down, taking her lips in his, kissing her softly and moaning from the feeling.

Once he realized that he was actually kissing her, he pulled back, completely alarmed by his behavior.

"No. It's okay." she whispered, "I can't tell you how long I have waited for that."

That's all the confirmation he needed to place a second kiss on her lips. This time, she pulled him deep into the kiss, her tongue prodding at his lips and then dancing around his mouth with their tongues.

He nibbled at her bottom lip making her sigh into the long, hot kiss.

She finally pulled away, her chest heaving as she caught her breath.

"No." she says, lying back on the couch and resting her head.

"I'm 100% sure i'm in love with you."


	23. The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

It was Lea's first day on the set of Glee.

There was no word in the English speaking language that could describe how she was feeling.

She was sat in a room with some of her new cast mates waiting for everyone else to arrive before their first brief.

Jenna was sat next to her, swinging her legs back and forth nervously.

Lea was so thankful that there was at least one person she already knew in this cast. She felt extremely intimidated by all the beautiful girls and the dapper boys that were sitting around her in the room.

She saw Ryan come through the door and head in her direction.

"Lea, why don't you talk to some of your new cast mates? Break the ice a little? I'm sure that'll be a good starting point for everyone." He said, disappearing shortly after he had given his command.

She exhaled shakily. Obviously she'd already been labelled the team leader in Ryan's mind.

Jenna gave her a sympathetic look, but she knew of all people that Lea was so good with people and overall an extremely friendly person.

Looking around the room, she spotted a pretty blonde girl with her head buried in a book.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way across the room and sat down next to the stunning woman.

"Hi. I'm Lea!" she smiled, making immediate eye contact.

"Hey Lea! I'm Dianna. Nice to meet you!" she responded, smiling at her new acquaintance.

"Okay. Let me guess. You're playing Quinn Fabray?"

Dianna smiled giddily.

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"Oh come on, you fit her appearance description perfectly! Long blonde hair, flawless complexion and-" Lea stopped mid-sentence as she saw a tall, dark haired man enter the room.

There was something about him that made her just stop.

She couldn't think. She couldn't speak. She had no idea what was happening to her.

Dianna was confused and shot her a concerned look.

"Um, are you okay?" she said quietly.

"Yeah! Sorry! I just… do you know who that is?" she asked, nodding her head toward the tall, dark man who was now standing only several feet away, "I think I recognize him or something."

"No. I'm sure we'll find out soon though!" Dianna said sounding chipper once again.

"Yeah, for sure…."

Lea glanced around the room to see other cast members now creating conversations with one another. Ryan's plan had worked after all.

"Lea!" a voice called.

It was Ryan.

"Err… Sorry Dianna, the boss needs me! Speak to you later!" she smiled, watching the girl reciprocate her small gesture.

She noticed that Ryan was chatting with the tall, dark man that had left her speechless only several seconds earlier.

Maybe he was a member of the cast.

Maybe he was Finn.

There was now one sentence repeating through her head over and over again:

"Please let him be Finn."

"Hey!" she said brightly, standing by Ryan's side and smiling wildly.

"Hey, Lea… this is Cory."

He gestured toward the man.

Lea thought he was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

He smiled a half smile, flashing some of his sparkling white teeth.

"I'll leave you two to chat then!" Ryan said before scurrying off somewhere else.

"Cory Monteith." Cory confirmed once more, shaking Lea's hand.

She had to stop herself from gasping at the sensation his touch gave her. She had goose bumps pricking her skin and shivers running down her spine.

He looked at her in awe. He felt his heart rate speeding up and his palms grow sweaty. He couldn't believe how crazy he was feeling.

"Nice to meet you." She finally said, swallowing hard.

Their eyes connected, keeping contact for a few seconds.

"Um. I'm Lea Michele."

"Oh yes, I know who you are. I've done my research." He said, his cheeks reddening a little.

"Oh really?" she said raising her eyebrows, her heart swelling somewhat.

"Yeah. I'm afraid I'm not much of a Broadway star, but I'll try my best to keep the stakes high on set!" He said, half laughing.

"_**Oh shit. He really was in the show." Lea thought, suddenly getting giddy at the thought of him acting alongside her.**_

"Wait, are you playing Finn?" she said, a grin forming on her lips, unable to stop herself from asking the unavoidable question.

"I believe so!" he said, exhaling deeply and smiling.

"Brilliant!" she squeaked, "I definitely have my work cut out then! You look perfect for the part!"

She almost kicked herself in the head for that one. It sounded so cheezy and superficial.

"Well, I must say, you look like you fit the role of Rachel Berry perfectly"

"Oh! Why thank-you" she giggled, "It makes sense. We're practically the same person."

He was happy. So happy that he'd met the famous Lea Michele and that she was nothing like he expected her to be. She was beautiful and funny and well grounded. Although she did make him feel a little strange inside.

"The cast of Glee! Follow me!" a crew member called from the other side of the room, ushering the cast out of the room and down the hall to a conference room.

"After you" Cory said, holding the door open for her.

Her heart skipped a beat.

**Her heart skipped a beat.**

She almost went into cardiac arrest there and then.

Why did her heart skip a beat?

There was something definitely going on with this guy, and one way or another, she was going to find out what is was, no matter how long it took or how hard it may seem.

There was something there.


	24. The Joker

Laugher filled Lea's house, echoing off of her freshly painted walls.

Most of the cast had followed Lea and Cory back to her house to hang out and order in food.

They'd all just finished shooting at 8pm, 2 hours earlier than expected and weren't ready to head home quite yet. They were all having too much fun with each other on set.

"Leaaaaaa!" Kevin whined, "When's the food getting here? I'm starving!"

Jenna, Kevin, Amber and Naya were all sprawled out on one of Lea's giant sofas while Chord, Mark, Dianna, Heather and Darren took up the other two sofas.

Lea was sat in between Cory's legs on the carpeted lounge floor as he played with her hair, twirling it around in his fingers.

"It should be here soon!" Lea reassured him, "It's not my fault you guys all wanted Chinese! Do you know how far away the nearest Chinese take-out is from here?"

"Fine." Kevin responded, wrapping his arm around Amber and falling back into a conversation with the three girls around him.

They were all telling stories about their childhood and what stupid stuff they'd done as a kid.

Lea couldn't help but feel her heart break when she felt Cory's muscles tense up under his shirt at the conversation.

It was still so hard for him to talk about everything that had happened to him.

She knew that one day he would open up and confide in her. But now was not the time.

Everyone cheered when the doorbell finally rang.

Lea jumped up to answer the door, followed by Cory who helped her bring in all the cartons of food and place them on her dining table.

Cory paid the delivery guy, to which he earned a scowl from Lea.

"That was supposed to be my treat, Mr Monteith." Lea grunted, pouting her lips at the same time.

"Nah. I'm in a giving mood." He responded, kissing her lips briefly before heading to the kitchen where all of their friends were already devouring the meal.

They all thanked Cory for paying for their meal and took a seat in the lounge, munching on their Chinese food.

"Hey Lea, could you pass me the soy sauce?" Cory said, the bottle too far out of his reach.

"Sure!"

A grin flashed across his face as well as Chord and Mark's.

She handed him the bottle and placed a kiss on his cheek contently.

"Thanks babe." He smiled, trying to hide how badly he wanted to laugh.

He was going to pull the ultimate prank on Lea.

He squirted the sauce all over his meal and began to eat.

Cory began to cough as he ingested the sauce drenched food, spluttering noisily.

"Oh my god, Cory! Are you okay?" Lea said, patting his back and trying to help him swallow whatever it was that was stuck in his throat.

He kept on coughing and choking.

A wave of panic flew through Lea's body. She looked up to see her friend's faces all shocked and frozen with panic.

"What-What did you give him?" Mark said, jumping up from his seat and bounding over to where Lea and Cory were sat on the floor.

Mark tried hard to stop himself from laughing at the whole situation.

"I-I just gave him the soy sauce!" she quivered, hitting Cory's back harder to help him breathe.

He was still coughing.

"No you didn't Lea!" Chord said, picking up the bottle that she had given to him, "This is peanut oil. Has he never told you that he's allergic to nuts?"

Ignoring all logic, Lea jumped to her feet and completely freaked out to the two men stood in front of her.

"No! He never told me that! If you knew that … why didn't you just tell me straight away and call the fucking ambulance?" Lea screamed in panic, staring at the two men in anger.

No one responded to her shrill, aggressive tone.

Tears started rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't believe she had given him something he was allergic to. She hated herself.

"Right. If none of you are going to fucking help me, I'll do it myself." She cursed, pulling out her iPhone and dialling 911.

His voice was getting hoarse from coughing so much now.

All of a sudden, she heard every single person in the room burst into laughter.

"Lea! Lea! Lea!" Chord said, taking the phone out of her hand and hanging up the call.

She was shaking from fear, yet everyone around her was being so uncooperative and unreasonable. They were all laughing at Cory who was having a serious allergic reaction.

Cory stopped coughing and burst into laughter, rising to his feet and walking over to where Lea was frozen on the spot.

"What the hell?" she shrieked, looking around the room in horror.

"It was a prank, Lee!" Cory laughed, trying to pull her into a hug.

She slapped his hand away from her and took a step back.

"Don't touch me you asshole!" she whimpered, "Why did you do that? I almost had a fucking heart attack!"

He knew she was pissed off when she swore. She never swore unless she was extremely angry or drunk.

"Aw, Lea, I'm sorry… it was just a laugh." He said, trying to feel for her hand.

"Well it wasn't funny!" she shouted, turning her back on him and storming into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Everyone in the room fell silent.

"Oh shit." Naya piped up, "You better go fix that Cory."

He knew he'd really upset her. She was a simple girl, not really into pranking and practical jokes.

It was a pretty awful prank to play on her. He suddenly felt extremely guilty.

He tapped on her bedroom door, opening it slightly to see Lea lying on her bed, her face buried into her pillows as she sobbed.

"Oh Lea, I'm so so sorry." He said softly, closing the door behind him and sitting on the bed by her shaking body.

Lifting her head to meet his, he noticed her swollen red eyes and her mascara stained cheeks.

As if he didn't feel bad enough already.

"Do you realise what you just did to me in there?" she sobbed, "You scared me to death. I thought I'd poisoned you!"

"Lea…" he captured her face in his hands, stopping her from moving away from him, "I'm so sorry. It wasn't my idea. It was Mark and Chord's, and I know I still did it and everything, but I'm sorry."

Her eyes were still full of tears when she blinked, releasing a few on to her already stained cheeks.

He pressed his lips against her salty tears and kissed them away.

"I'm sorry babe."

"I don't know why I'm even with you, you're such an asshole." She said, a small smile gracing her already beautiful face, "First the sticker prank and now this!"

"Well, you gotta admit I got you pretty good on both of them!"

"Yeah, but I swear if you do that-"

"I won't," he interrupted her, placing a finger on her lips, "I promise I will never do that to you ever again."

She nodded at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and sliding on to his lap.

"Kiss?" he requested shyly, pouting out his lips.

No matter how pissed off she had been at him, there was no way she could say no to that face.


	25. There Are Stars In Her Eyes

"I don't know what do Cor! Can't we just go back to the room already?"

He connects his eyes with hers, her whole face being illuminated by the bright lights of the casino slots. He can't help but admire her beauty in the light, but swallows quickly, stopping himself from getting excited at just the sight of her.

"We just got here babe! Come on, we can't come to Las Vegas and not play the slots at least once!"

She sighs, turning her head back toward the slot machine.

"So, I just pull the lever?" she says flatly, a hint of attitude in her tone.

"Yeah, and if you get all the same symbols, you win."

He rests his arm over her chair, leaning over to point out to her exactly what she should be pulling.

"Okay, seems easy enough." She says pulling the lever and seeing a series of different symbols appear on the screen in front of her.

"Did I win?" she says excitedly, her eyes widening at the sound of the machine making sounds and buzzing.

Cory laughs, he loves how she's so enthusiastic about everything. Another thing to add to the list of reasons why he fell in love with her.

"No, I'm sorry babe."

"Oh…" she frowns, pouting her lips.

He can't help but lean over and kiss her pouting lips. He's never seen something so adorable before in his life.

"Come on, let's go!" he says breaking the short, but sweet kiss and pulling her to her feet, "I have a surprise for you."

He watches a huge smile form on her face, her eyes sparkling. And not just from the bright lights that surrounded them this time.

"A surprise? Cory, you're so good to me." She wraps her arm around his waist as she feels his arm fly over her shoulder, guiding her out of the casino.

"Nothing less for Lea Michele Sarfati. She deserves everything good on this planet."

He stops and places a kiss on her blushing cheek before reaching into his pocket and fishing out two tickets.

"Look what I have!" he teases, waving the tickets in front of her face too fast for her to read the bold text printed on them.

She finally stops his hands from moving and takes one of the tickets out of his hand.

"Return to Vegas: Celine Dion… Cory! I thought you said the concert was sold out!" she gasps, clenching her fists and giggling in excitement.

He smiles, thinking how those tickets were worth every penny just to see her smile like that.

She flings herself at him, repeating the word "Thank-you" over and over again, squeezing the life out of him in their embrace.

She balances herself on her tippy toes and takes his mouth in hers, sweeping her tongue over his lips and poking at them, trying to gain entrance. He allows her in, reciprocating the kiss just as hard, wrestling his tongue with hers for a good number of seconds.

She breaks the kiss, looking around to make sure that no one saw their impromptu make out session in front of the entire casino.

"Let's go, we can't have you miss your date with Miss Celine Dion now, can we?"

She stops again after only taking a few steps.

"What?"

"Oh, didn't I mention that I arranged for us to go backstage after the show and meet Celine for a chat?"

She almost screams, but cups her mouth with her hand. She wants to jump up and down like a little girl, but she's fully aware that she's already drawn enough attention to herself in this very public place.

"Cory! You are crazy!" she gasps, clasping her hands with his and squeezing them tightly in her grip, "Thank-you so much! You really didn't have to do this you know?"

"I know. But I know how much you love her, it only seemed fitting for you to see her live." He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her flush against his body, "Plus, why do you think I begged you to come with me?"

Her arms snake up his chest and around his neck as she caresses his hair with her slender fingers.

"You're my hero, you know that right?" she says, giggling.

She loved making references to their characters. It felt so good having some sort of parallel between their real relationship, and Finn and Rachel's relationship.

He chuckles at her comment. She totally knows what he's going to say next.

"You're mine."

He leans down and kisses her once more before they make their way to the coliseum theatre, where Celine's concert was just about to take place.

He hears her quietly admit that she loves him.

"I love you too gorgeous"


	26. Words of Wisdom

It was 2:41pm when Lea finally woke up in the Dentist chair.

She'd just had her wisdom teeth taken out and was just coming out of her anesthetic sleep.

Since Lea was tiny, she was extremely lightweight when it came to medication.

She heard a knock on the dentist's door through her foggy mind.

The dental assistant opened it, revealing Cory stood behind it.

"Hey baby, how are you?" he said softly, sitting in the chair beside her and taking her sweaty hand, stroking it gently.

She tried to form words, but her mind was so jumbled and she hadn't got used to the pain in her mouth yet.

"She only just woke up. She's extremely disorientated, but she'll come around soon." The dental assistant said, flashing a smile at Cory.

"Oh right. Well, I'll just wait here until she is completely awake. Is that okay?" he said, sounding concerned and squeezing her hand.

"Of course. Although, we do have another appointment in here in about 5 minutes. Hopefully she'll be more alert then."

5 minutes later, Lea still wasn't completely conscious. The anesthetic had really knocked her out. Cory kicked himself for that one. He should've told the dentists that she was extremely sensitive to medication before her procedure.

"Um. Would you mind if I carried her out? I don't want to disorientate her even more by forcing her to walk." Cory said, raising to his feet and bending down over Lea's tiny body.

Her eyes kept opening and closing and she kept stirring and mumbling, but she was in no way ready to walk yet.

"Yeah of course. Just be careful of her mouth!" the assistant said, moving back the light above Lea's head so that Cory could remove her from the chair carefully.

He scooped her up in his arms as if she were as light as a feather.

"I've got you baby, don't worry." He said when she moaned a little and threw her hand to her swollen mouth.

He carried her out of the dentist's office and out into the parking lot. He managed to unlock his car with his right hand without putting her down.

He laid her down in the passenger seat and fasten her belt for her.

As soon as he belted himself in to the driver's seat and started the engine, he couldn't help but admire her beauty.

He'd never seen such a beautiful woman in his entire life. She even looked gorgeous after having one of the world's grossest surgeries.

As he made his way back home, he heard her moan a few words.

"C-Cory?" she croaked, hardly forming the words audibly.

"Yeah baby, I'm here it's okay."

"Where am I?" she mumbled, starting to panic.

Tears started spilling out of her eyes. She had no idea where she was.

Cory pulled over seeing how disorientated and distressed she was really becoming.

"Aw don't cry sweetheart, we're on our way home. You just came out of surgery. You did really well baby girl." he wrapped his arm around her, trying to comfort her as pain rattled through her body.

She clutched her mouth, tears still pouring from her eyes.

"Are you hurting, Lee?" he said, his voice thick with concern.

She shaked her head violently.

"I-I'm okay. I'm sorry." She spluttered, suddenly becoming embarrassed, "I'm such a baby."

His eyes softened in her gaze

"Don't be silly. You went through a hell of a lot in surgery today Lee. Plus, it doesn't help that they practically knocked you out and then kicked you out before you had time to recover." He wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb.

"Thank-you" she sniffed, resting her head on his shoulder as he started up the engine again.

5 minutes later they reached Lea's house.

He carried her into the house and helped her change into her pajamas, settling her down in bed. She clearly needed to sleep the anesthetic off.

"Listen, don't fall asleep yet hun. Just take this tablet and then you can sleep all you want, okay? It'll take some of the pain away"

He handed her a paracetamol tablet and a glass of water.

She took it willingly, swallowing the tablet with the help of the water.

She handed the glass back to Cory and almost immediately fell asleep.

"I'll be back soon. Sheila will look after you until then, okay?" he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead, unsure whether she had actually heard him or not.

It didn't matter. At least she was asleep and not in pain.

2 hours later, Cory arrived back at Lea's house with a bunch of vegetables that he'd just bought from the store.

He had taken it upon himself to make Lea some Vegan soup for when she woke up from her nap.

He'd decided to make Tomato and Garlic soup with mixed herbs.

He spent an hour slaving over the simple recipe, but was pretty proud of himself with his finished product.

Once he had arranged her soup nicely on one of Lea's dinner trays, he carried it into her bedroom, finding her still fast asleep in her bed that seemed to just swallow her tiny body.

No wonder she was a lightweight, there was no way her body could react normally to strong drugs.

"Lea…" he whispered gently.

Surprisingly, her eyes fluttered open on the first try.

She smiled weakly, pouting her lips for a kiss, before feeling a jab of pain hit her mouth. She wrinkled her nose and eyebrows at the sensation.

"Aw baby!" he chuckled, laughing softly at how adorable she was.

He kissed her nose, "there you go sweetie."

She giggled lightly as he stroked her swollen cheek.

"That looks really sore, honey."

"Mhmmmm."

"I think I have something for you that could make it feel better." He grinned, placing the tray on her lap.

She sat up, her eyes beaming at what she was seeing.

"You did this for me?" she croaked, feeling Cory propping her up against a pillow.

"Of course I did. My girl needs to be taken care of!" he said, smiling down at her proudly.

"Come eat this with me." She said, sliding over so Cory could fit in the bed too.

"No Lee, it's yours."

"Cor. There's so much, I can't eat all of it!" she said, licking her lips after taking her first few sips.

"Oh okay then!" he said, allowing her to spoon the soup into his mouth.

"Mmm this is really good Cory. You did me proud."

His eyes sparkled. He was glad that he'd brightened her day just a little.

"Thanks babe. To be honest, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out, but it isn't too bad at all!"

Once they'd finished the soup, Cory placed the tray back on the nightstand, and popped on a movie for them both to watch in bed.

"What does Ms. Michele want to watch today?" he said, walking over to their DVD cabinet.

"Can we watch Singin' In The Rain? Remember! Mr Schuester said it always made him feel better when he was sick!" she smiled.

"Singin' In The Rain it is." He responded, slotting the DVD into the player.

He jumped back into bed with Lea, spooning her as she cuddled into his chest.

He'd never felt happier or more content in his life.

"You know. I think this is the best sick day ever." She sighed contently, pulling Cory's arms tighter around her.

He couldn't help but grin wildly.

She definitely had his heart.


	27. You're My Dream Come True

"I can't believe it..." Lea gasped, holding on to Cory's arm as they made their way back to their hotel room.

"I know babe." he grinned back, so proud of himself for getting a hold of two VIP tickets for them.

"No Cory, I really, really can't believe it!"

She was still buzzing from her encounter with one of her biggest idols.

"I-I can't believe I got to meet her."

"Well you better believe it babe! It definitely happened!" he smiled, finally arriving at their door and swiping the key card through the lock.

"Pinch me!" she squeaked loudly as they locked the door behind them.

He pinched her softly, not wanting to bruise her skin, but hard enough for her point to get across.

"Nope! I'm definitely not dreaming!"

"I told you." he chuckled, sitting down on the bed and pulling her onto his lap.

"You did. It's just, you know... When I was a little kid I used to dream of meeting her. When I was a teenager I went through this massive Celine Dion phase. I never thought I'd actually get to meet her" she smiled up at him, locking her eyes on his dilating pupils.

"Well. Now you have met her. And guess what?" he said softly, "she told you that she loves you and your work. Tell that to teenage Lea!"

He was so proud of her. Of what she'd achieved so far in her life. Celine Dion, one of the world's biggest stars, had openly complimented her and expressed her love for the show.

"Oh so I didn't dream that either?" she giggled, her voice growing thick with emotion as she remembered Celine's kind words.

"No baby. You most certainly did not." he kissed her cheek, loving the feel of his wet lips on her smooth skin, "You're amazing Lea. You don't get enough credit for what you do on our show. I'd bet my life that Glee wouldn't be successful if it weren't for you."

"Oh Cory, now you're just being silly..." she shrugged, offering him a smile.

"How am I being silly?" he said, pulling away from her a little. He was a little pissed off with her last comment.

"I'm being serious. You work harder than anyone else on that set. You give more than any other cast member, and you want it the most. People don't recognize how hard you work for this show and I am so sick of it. Celine obviously knows how hard you work. Do you think she would compliment another celebrity if she didn't mean it? I don't think she would. I'm pretty sure she's got better things to do than tell a bunch of lies to people?"

He looked down at her, watching her eyes start to fill with tears.

He suddenly felt guilty. He didn't mean to use such a harsh, cruel tone with her.

"Oh god Lea, I'm sorry." he said, caressing her face with his thumb as big, fat tears rolled down her face.

"No..." she sniffed, giving him a watery smile, "I'm just so happy. You make me so happy."

And it was true. Ever since they'd started their romantic relationship, she'd never been happier. He'd been so supportive of every single project, event or venture that came into her life. He was always there for her when she needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. He always took her on dates and made her feel special. He made her so unconditionally happy.

"I'm glad you're happy. I'm so happy too." he cooed at her, turning her around in his arms so that she was facing him.

"Thank you, Cor. For all this. You didn't need to do all this. I mean, bringing me here to Las Vegas was enough on its own. But then buying me a spa day, treating me to a nice dinner and surprising me with VIP Celine Dion tickets? That's too much!" she said, trying desperately hard not to fall into his eyes.

"Nothing less for my girl. You deserve the sun and the moon in my eyes, Lea." he said, leaning forward and snatching her lips away from her and onto his mouth. He brushed his tongue against her slightly parted mouth and she happily granted him entrance to her mouth. He played with her tongue affectionately for a few moments before she pulled away, tears still falling from her eyes.

"You make my dreams come true, Cory. You really do." she leaned up and pecked his lips, before she snuggled down onto the bed, feeling Cory's strong arms snake around her waist.

"You are my dream come true, Lea Michele Sarfati."


	28. Your Protector

It was date night.

Old fashioned was the way to do it in Cory's eyes.

He made sure that they went on a proper date every single Thursday night.

Naturally, he did spent most nights at her house anyway, so it didn't really make a difference.

"So. You get to choose where we go tonight." Cory said smoothly, wrapping his large hands around her waist from behind.

She giggled as she turned to face him.

"Oh, okay. Well, I don't really mind."

"Really?" he smiled, moving a strand of hair away from her eyes and looping it behind her ears, "It just so happens that I have a perfect idea."

"Of course you do." She said just a confident, "And what may that perfect idea be?"

Stroking her hand, he brought it up to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

"You'll just have to wait and see." He grinned, "Although, don't dress up. We're not going out tonight."

A massive smiled formed on her lips. She tried hard not to laugh in his face at his statement.

"You are such a dirty asshole Cory Monteith!" she giggled, smacking him lightly on the chest.

"Oh god no! That's not what I meant, Lee!" he said, trying to dig himself out of the hole he'd made.

"Sure it wasn't…" she smirked, throwing a wink into his eyes.

"No, it wasn't. Seriously."

He chuckled, ruffling her hair with his hands, "Just be ready for me at 8pm."

He plodded off to his trailer, pretty happy with his come back.

Lea wasn't gonna lie. She was somewhat turned on by how mysterious he was being.

Only time would tell what the evening's events would bring her.

It was 8:11pm when Lea opened her front door to see Cory on her porch, dressed in a tailored suit.

He was holding a bouquet of flowers.

Smelling his cologne, she walked her fingers up his chest and on to his face, pulling him to her lips for a long, hot kiss.

"Hi beautiful." He said, once he'd pulled away and caught his breath.

"W-What are you doing?" she questioned him, clearly confused by his attire, "I mean, I'm not complaining, you look dapper… but I thought you said that we were not going out?"

"We're not."

"Well then why are you dressed in a three piece, silly?"

He wrapped himself around her small, fragile body and looked deep into her eyes.

"Because I have a surprise for you." He grinned, placing a DVD in her hands, "Now, I know you love scary movies and a friend of mine happens to be in the horror film business… so I managed to get a copy of this new movie that's coming out soon. We'll be the first ones to ever watch it."

Her eyes lit up. She loved how he always took notice of what interested her.

"So. I figured that I'd make the occasion a little romantic. I thought we could pretend like we were going to the premiere, just without all the annoying interviewers and photographers and-"

She interrupted his speech as she threw her lips onto his, sucking at his lower lip while he threw his tongue into her mouth.

Moaning, Cory pressed his body harder into hers, wanting to feel her closer to him.

He pulled away quickly when he started to feel the effects of her touch take over his body.

"You are the best." She cooed at her tall, handsome boyfriend.

"I'm only giving you what you deserve, baby girl."

She blushed.

If it were anyone else calling her 'baby girl', she probably would've laughed.

But when Cory called her his 'baby girl', she felt more loved than ever before.

"Well, I'm not dressed for such an important occasion as this." She said, fixing her eyes on his dilating pupils.

"It would appear not." He said, playing along with her little game.

"Come help me choose what to wear?"

"Why of course Ms. Michele."

20 minutes later, Lea was dressed in a long, off the shoulder crimson gown. The colour highlighted her lips, that of which she had painted cherry red. She felt like a 10 year old again, dressing up for no reason at all.

Cory's jaw dropped when she walked out into the longue to meet him.

He knew she was beautiful, but he never knew that she could be that beautiful.

"Wow, Lea you…" his voice trailed off, his hand offering her a glass of champagne.

She giggled at his loss of words, spinning around in her dress to show him what it looked like from every angle.

"Okay… so are we gonna order in pizza?" she said, finally regaining the power of her eyes after losing them in Cory's.

"Oh no no no no."

"Well, what are we gonna eat? I didn't prepare something, I'm really sorry."

Cory smiled, he walked over to the front door, bring her with him by the hand.

"I made us dinner."

He opened the door to reveal Justin stood behind it, 3 trays covered with tin foil in his arms.

"Thanks Justin," he said, closing the door after taking everything out of his arms and placing it on the table.

"Wh-what? I don't understand?"

"I made us dinner. I went home and I made us that special pasta you like with mushrooms and that really nice sauce. I hope it's okay for you?"

He uncovered the trays and placed the plates onto her table.

A freshly made salad was also placed on to the table, along with all different kinds of sauces and dressings.

"I just wanted tonight to be special." He said softly, turning to face her once more, "Not that every night I spend with you isn't special… but you deserve so much, Lea. You deserve all this effort and more. I love you."

All of sudden, Lea just wanted to sob. She'd never been made to feel so special and loved in her life.

"I love you so much."

She leaned up and kissed his rough lips, appreciating their close contact.

"Let's eat."

They finished their meal within an hour and settled down on Lea's sofa to watch the movie.

"You know what?" she said confidently, "I loved getting dressed up and pretending like I was on the red carpet, but right now all I want to do is snuggle up to my boyfriend and watch this movie."

All Cory could do was smile. She was so adorable.

"I think I agree with you." He said finally, sitting up and hoisting himself up off the couch, "Let's go and watch this in bed."

As it turned out, it took a lot longer to changed and ready for bed as Lea had planned.

Unbuttoning the dress took up a large portion of her time and she must have spent 20 minutes taking off all of her make up and moisturizing her skin.

Once Lea was finally ready and had popped the DVD into the slot inside her TV, she jumped back into bed feeling Cory's arms slide their way across her body automatically.

"Are you ready?" Cory teased her, poking at her ribs.

"Oh you bet I am!"

It wasn't long before the movie started to get seriously violent and gory.

"Cory! That's gross don't look at it!" she squealed, burying her head into his chest trying to shut out the sight and sound of the picture.

He laughed as she shrieked in his arms, begging him not to watch the movie and to turn it off.

"I thought my girl like horror movies?"

He couldn't help but feel like her protector. Sheltering her from all the bad and keeping her safe. It was a wonderful feeling that came over him.

"She does. But just not this one." She sulked, pouting her lips.

He leaned down and kissed her, caressing her face softly until they broke apart, jumping at the sound of a shrill scream coming from the TV.

"Okay okay that's enough." He said, feeling for the remote and pausing the movie, "Should I put Funny Girl on?"

A cheeky look swept across her face.

"Nope. I have a better idea."

She took the remote out of his hands and turned the TV off all together.

Crawling over his body, she placed hot kisses on his bare chest all the way up to his neck.

Needless to say, she didn't have such a scary night afterall.


	29. Breakdown

It was thundering and lightening in L.A

Cory knew that whenever the weather wasn't sunny and bright, Lea's mood seemed to parallel it.

"Cory, I told you to defrost your chicken!" she shouted to her boyfriend, who was lying on the sofa catching up on NHL scores, "Now you can't eat that for dinner!"

He hated it when she got upset at him for the littlest things.

"Babe, it's okay! We'll just order in or something…"

"Oh yeah, okay. Order in! You know, seeing as though I prepared this salad for absolutely nothing!"

Rising to his feet, Cory plodded over to his red faced girlfriend and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Lea, it'll be okay. I'm sorry I didn't defrost the meat. I completely forgot…"

"Well you forget everything Cory!" she continued to shout, "You never help me with any of this stuff!"

Something had brought this on and he knew it. This whole episode hadn't just come out of thin air and he wanted to know what was troubling her.

"Lee, are you okay?"

He moved his hands to her face, feeling how hot she was under his touch.

"Do I look like I'm okay, Cory?"

"No."

"Well there you go, you could've answered that question yourself then, couldn't you?"

The sarcasm in her voice made him shudder. She was hardly ever sarcastic, but when she was, it made him feel so uncomfortable and anxious.

She turned her back on him, throwing her freshly made salad into the trash.

"Wait, no! Why did you do that?"

"Because you have no chicken to eat it with!"

He watched her place the empty salad bowl into the sink, running the cold water over it.

Once she tried the bowl, she placed it back down on to the counter top and sat herself at her dining table.

Several seconds later he heard her whole body rattle as she cried huge, ugly sobs.

"Lea? Babe, talk to me."

He knelt down by her side and stroked her hair as she cried, her hands covering her face as she rested her heavy head on the table.

She didn't say anything, just continued to cry.

"Lea I'm sorry. I really am, I should be helping you more. And I will. I promise that from now on I'll do whatever it is that needs doing."

She still didn't respond, her lungs gasping for air as she sobbed.

He began to worry. This surely wasn't just about the chicken and the salad? It was something a lot deeper than that.

"I-I can't do it anymore, Cory." She cried, picking up her head from the table and cradling it in her hands.

"Do what, baby?"

"I just can't do it anymore. I'm so exhausted with being me."

It seriously broke his heart to see her so upset and so distressed, he knew he needed to make things right.

Scooping her up in his arms, she wrapped herself around him, her arms cradling his neck as he placed her down onto her bed.

He led down on the bed and held her while she cried, feeling her tears dampen the material, her mascara staining it.

"It's okay. I've got you." He whispered into her ears softly, reassuring her that he was there for her.

Once she'd calmed down a little, he sat her up in his lap and looked her in the eye.

"You need to tell me what's going on, Lea. Something is going on with you and I need to know."

She rubbed her puffy eyes with the back of her hand, exhaling deeply.

"I just can't do this anymore. I feel so stressed and tired and like everyone wants a piece of me. I try so hard to please everyone but it never works, everyone just wants more off of me all the time. And everyone just expects me to be perfect and shiny and bright all the time, but I'm not. I have feelings and I just can't handle this anymore… it's too much."

It took her about a minute to complete her entire speech, in between her sobs.

Cory pulled her into his chest, feeling his own emotions start to get a hold of him. It pained him to see her so distraught.

She continued to cry, her tears falling on to Cory's chest, making a huge damp stain.

"Lea… Lea!" he called to her softly, bringing her face up to his and snapping their gazes together.

"You are wonderful. You're beautiful and talented and hardworking and special. People ask things of you because they know you can do it and they know that you're the best person for the job. Sure, I agree with you, people are relying on you a bit more than they should be, but you're incredible, Lea. Look at what you've achieved in your life so far. Look what you achieve every day. You are perfect, regardless of what you think. You're perfect to me, okay?"

A small, watery smile tugged at her lips. If there was one thing for sure, it was that Cory made her feel loved and appreciated.

Snapping back to reality, a frown formed on her face once again.

"But look at me, Cory. I just feel so fat and ugly. Look at all the other girls out there. Look at Dianna and Naya! They're tall and gorgeous and beautiful. I'm just short and stubby. I'm so sick of always being the odd one out."

Shaking his head violently, Cory truly could not believe what he was hearing.

"What the hell are you talking about? You're more beautiful than Dianna and Naya put together, god! And I seriously have no idea what you're talking about when you say that you look fat, because I know for a fact that you work out and that you keep yourself in brilliant shape. You have a perfect body, Lee. Stop hating yourself. Please. It's breaking my heart to see you like this…"

Hearing Cory say all of those beautiful, positive things about her brought even more tears to her eyes.

"I'm so lucky to call you my boyfriend."

He felt the stress flush out of her body as she relaxed her muscles and laid between his legs.

"I'm so fucking lucky to call you my beautiful girlfriend."

He leaned over her face and kissed her lips softly, taking her breath away.

"I'm so sorry." She sniffed, pulling away from the kiss, "I just, I was feeling so stressed and I've just been bottling it up for so long. It only takes something as stupid as hormones to bring it all out."

Hormones.

He should've known it was **that** time again.

"Well how about next time you don't bottle it up and you come and tell me what's bothering you straight away."

She smiled up at him and pecked his lips.

"Deal."


	30. I'm Listening

It meant so much to him.

It meant so much to him that she was there with him.

He knew that he couldn't keep his secrets away from her forever. It all had to come out at some point.

The only thing that had ever really stopped him from confiding in her was because he was afraid she'd see him differently. That she'd be too scared to be with him. That she'd judge him. That she'd feel uncomfortable and unsafe around him.

But everything had changed now. He finally felt as though she loved him enough to get past the fact that he hadn't been as privileged as she had been, growing up.

He knew that the only way for them to progress further in their relationship, was if they were completely honest with each other and removed all the skeletons from their closets.

Reaching out for his iPhone, he dialled Lea's number and anxiously waited for her to pick up the phone.

"Hi Cory!"

"Hi baby!"

"What's up?"

She sounded bright and chipper, as always.

"Oh nothing much… I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out? I know you said you were going to yoga, but I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh, yeah… sure?" she responded, sounding slightly concerned, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah! Everything is fine, don't worry babe. I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my place?"

A grin swept across Lea's face. They never went over to his place, they always hung out and slept over at her house. She knew that whatever he had to say to her was important.

"I would love that," she giggled sweetly, "what time do you want me?"

"How is 20 minutes from now for you?"

"Perfect. See you then."

She hung up, stopping for a moment to process her thoughts.

She had no idea what it was that Cory wanted to tell her, but she told herself that no matter what it was, she would listen to him.

Cory had managed to get his roommates out of the house for the next few hours.

He was beginning to feel extremely nervous.

He had absolutely no idea how she would react to what he was going to tell her.

Hearing the doorbell go, he exhaled quickly before going to let his girlfriend in.

"Hey"

"Hi"

He wrapped his arms around her and placed a sweet kiss on her lips, savouring every second of the embrace.

"Oh I love you." She giggled, pulling away from the kiss and stumbling as her body was overcome with the feeling his kisses gave her.

"You're cute."

He guided her to the lounge where he sat her down on the sofa.

She knew something was up when he didn't automatically snuggle her into him. They usually used sofas to cuddle, and he was the cuddle monster in their relationship.

Running his hair through his hands and taking a deep breath, he sat down on the sofa next to her and stared her straight in the eyes.

"I-I asked you to come here tonight because I wanted to talk to you about something." he swallowed hard, trying not to show her how emotional he was becoming about the whole situation.

"Sure."

"I love you, Lea. And, if I'm serious about you and if I want to be with you for a very long time, I need to tell you everything. You need to know everything about me. Good and bad."

It all made sense to Lea now. She knew that this day would come. She'd always wanted to know about his past and what had happened to him, but she never felt in authority to ask such a thing.

"I agree."

Her tone was soft and comforting. It made him relax that little bit more.

"Okay, but before I tell you everything… I want you to know that I'm a completely different person now. I swear, Lee. I'm not that person anymore. I haven't been for a long time."

"I know. Don't worry, I'm not going to judge you."

He swallowed hard, taking a deep breath in.

"Okay, so. When I was thirteen, I kind of lost my way. Like, really lost my way. There was this one kid who I hung around with who was like, a really bad influence on me. One night he offered me a cigarette and not knowing any better, I took it. Night after night he kept offering me this cigarettes and I was scared that if I didn't take them, he'd beat me up. He was one of those guys, you know? So as time went on, he started doing stronger stuff… you know like cocaine and meth. And of course because he was doing it, that meant I had to do it to. Then I got addicted. I would have literally done anything to get a hit, it was so scary. I dropped out of school because my grades had dropped and I'd lost all interest in my education. It just didn't seem important to me. The only thing that seemed important to me were drugs and when I was going to get my next hit. My parents had completely lost hope in me and I tried everything I could to avoid them. I'd rough it with my friends most nights, getting high and drunk. Living with those guys was scary. They'd beat up anyone they could find for money. They didn't mind hospitalizing a few people just so that they could get high. I never did that though. I'd sneak back into my mum's house when she was asleep and I'd steal some of her money, just so I could get my next hit. And that's when they, my family, gave me an ultimatum."

Lea listened intently to his entire speech.

Her eyes watered as she processed everything that he was telling her.

She knew that he'd had a tough childhood, but she never would've guessed how bad it had actually been.

"They found out that I'd stolen $1000 from my Aunt and Uncle while they were staying with us and they told me that if I didn't clean up my act, they'd hand me over to the police."

He looked down at her, his eyes wide and alert with anxiety.

Her eyes were soft and wet, he found some comfort in their warmth.

"So I decided to turn my life around. I checked myself into rehab and I did 3 months in there. I did really well, actually, and I didn't even relapse once. Once I finished my stint in there, I was completely clean. I looked around for a job so that I could provide for myself. My entire family didn't trust me anymore, so I had to fend for myself. I worked a bunch of different jobs and then I decided to get out of the city. That's when I got into acting. My friend suggested that I go to an acting workshop, just to see what it was like. I ended up going and I actually really enjoyed it. One man in particular took some sort of interest in me. I don't know why, but he did. He trained me and taught me everything I know, which then eventually led to me getting an agent. And I guess from there its history."

He finally exhaled sharply, relaxing his shoulders and slumping back into his seat with relief.

His gaze finally caught hers and his jaw dropped when he saw tears pouring down her face.

"Oh my god, Lea, please don't cry! I'm sorry, I knew I shouldn't have told you…"

He went to put his arm around her, but stopped when he felt her slap his arm away.

"No," she sniffed, looking into his eyes.

All of a sudden, she threw herself at him. Her arms wrapping tightly around his waist and holding him tightly.

"Thank-you for telling me. You have no idea what it means to me, you telling me everything."

It still did not explain to him why she was crying.

"I'm just upset because you are such a special person, Cory. You never deserved any of that to ever happen to you. I'm just so proud of you and of everything that you have done. You're so incredible and I have never been as proud to be your girlfriend, okay?" she sniffed, stroking his cheeks with her thumb.

She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, or if there really were tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry if you see me as this down and out drug addict with no sense of direction and no ambition. But I swear I'm not that person anymore. I promise, Lea."

His voice cracked.

He was definitely emotional.

"Did you not listen to what I just said? I am SO proud to be yours. I'm not worthy of you, Cory. You're just amazing. Look at you. Look at what you've done with your life. You're crazy for thinking that I see you as the person that you used to be. I'd never see you that way! I never have and I never will, okay?"

Smiles formed on both of their lips as he pulled her into a kiss, pouring more passion into the single embrace than he had ever done before.

"I love you so much." He finally said, brushing away the tears from her eyes.

"I love you so much more."

Although he didn't agree with her, he felt as though she really truly did love him way more than he had first wondered.


	31. Home

It wasn't often that Cory was required to stay on the Glee set longer than Lea.

He'd told her to go home and relax while he finished up filming, reassuring her that he'd be over with a take-out as soon as he was done.

Filming didn't take as long as he had expected and he was driving over to her house before he knew it.

Just as he was about to knock on her front door, he remembered that she'd given him a copy of her door key only weeks earlier. He definitely saw it as a step in their relationship. She clearly wanted to share her space with him.

Unlocking the door, he opened it with his elbows, placing the boxes of food on the inside of the doorway.

"Lea? I'm home!" he called through her house, frowning when he wasn't greeted with a response.

Taking a few steps into the house, he spotted her curled up into a ball on her sofa.

"Lea? What's wrong?"

She was crying.

Not hysterically, but enough to make him more than concerned.

He knelt down by her side, stroking her arms as she cried into the oversized pillow she was clutching.

"Lea?"

Her phone was on the table. He could see multiple new messages appear on her screen as the phone vibrated.

"I'm sorry, Cory. You shouldn't have to put up with this."

"Don't you be silly. I'm not putting up with anything. I'm here for you."

He sat beside her, a little shocked when she threw herself at him, crying into his shoulder.

There was nothing he could do but hold her and tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Not that he actually knew what was not okay in the first place.

After comforting her for a solid 10 minutes, Cory wanted some sort of explanation.

"Now, are you going to tell me what is making you so upset?" He wiped the falling tears from her eyes, placing a soft kiss on her lips, "I thought we had a full disclosure policy in this relationship?"

That got to her. It was so important to her that their relationship was completely truthful. No secrets. No lies. No drama.

"Okay… Well, I don't know why I haven't told you yet, to be honest. It's not really a big deal."

It was obviously a big deal to her, and that's what Cory cared about.

"You can tell me. I'm listening."

Rubbing her eyes, she exhaled roughly and held her head in her hands.

"My mum called me and it turns out that the entire cast of Spring Awakening are getting together in New York this weekend, even Jonathan and Skylar! But I can't go because I'm here and I'm doing that stupid photo shoot for some stupid magazine." She began to cry again, getting more and more worked up with every word that flew out of her mouth, "It's like I'm losing who I am. I miss it so much, Cory. I miss New York, I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss the stage."

Whenever she broke down on him like this, it usually meant it had been bothering her for quite some time.

It bothered him when she bottled it all up and then just exploded like a volcanic explosion of emotion.

Pulling her into his lap, he couldn't help but feel a little insecure. He thought she was happy with him and with their little life that they'd built over the last few months. He'd never been happier and he thought she felt the same way.

"New York is your home, Lea. It's where you grew up. Where you learned to do so many things. Where your dreams came true. But you've outgrown the brilliance of New York now. That's why you're here. Because you're special and because you're bigger and better than everything and everyone else in New York."

He wasn't sure if his words were working, but he had to say something to try and make her feel better.

"I didn't realize how unhappy you were living here, and I'm sorry for that. But you need to know how much love you have surrounding you here. Everyone at Glee absolutely adores you. Look at all the friends you've made from just being on the show!"

Her eyes widened at his dialogue.

"What are you talking about? I'm so happy living here, being with you and being on Glee. It's just I miss home so much. I don't know why, I just do. My heart is torn between here and New York, that's why it's so hard for me. I don't know where my heart lies!"

He was now super confused. She was telling him that she missed New York and wished she were back there with her friends, while also telling him that she was happy with him and being on glee.

"You don't have to choose between the two, Lee. New York will always have your heart, we both know that. But you can love both places for different reasons, you know?"

His comment put a tiny smile on her face, but it wasn't long before a frown creeped back onto her face.

"I know, Cor. But I just feel like people care about me more in New York, you know? Like all my true friends are there, partying it up, and I'm here, working my ass off only to get hated on by every gossip blogger and journalist!"

That really hurt him. He'd had it.

"Lea, what the fuck are you talking about?" He moved out from underneath her and stared her straight in the eye, "Don't you know how I feel about you? Don't you know how long I have waited to finally call you mine? Don't you know how much I fucking love you? You're everything to me! You're the sun and the moon combined to me, yet you still feel as though people care about you more in New York?"

His voice cracked with emotion. He couldn't help but feel his cheeks burn red.

"That's-that's not what I meant, Cory…" she sniffed, trying to reassure him as quickly as possible.

"Regardless you have so many people who care about you here in LA. Didn't you hear what I said earlier? People adore you! Not one person in our cast has one bad word to say about you. I don't tell me that you don't appreciate their friendships, because I know you do! You need to open your eyes and realize how much people love you."

The lack of physical contact bothered Lea. It made her feel empty and awkward sitting beside him without their bodies touching.

"I-I'm sorry, Cory. Are you mad at me?" her eyes started to fill with tears again.

He sighed wearily when he saw the droplets run down her face.

"No. No, of course I'm not."

"Well you sound pretty angry." She sniffed, looking him in the eye, "I'm sorry I pissed you off. I didn't mean to."

"You didn't piss me off, baby."

He pulled her into his arms again, holding her close as she sighed from relief at their contact.

"I just wish you'd see yourself the way I see you and the way everyone else sees you."

Locking her lips to his, she began to feel her insecurities melt. Cory made her feel less and less homesick. And she knew why she'd started to miss New York all of sudden.

"You know, I think I only miss New York because I finally feel as though I'm at home now." She whispered, pulling away from the kiss, "I'm like Rachel, I've found my home in you. And because I know my true home is in New York, it scared me. But that's it. I get it now. You're my home, Cory."

He truly felt like he could cry at her sentiments. It made him feel so much more valuable and cherished in their relationship.

"You're my home too. You always have been and you always will be."

He kissed her hard, barely giving her a chance to catch her breath. He wasted no time in showing her how much he truly loved her, and she did the same. Hearing her moan into the kiss gave him the confidence boost he needed to reach behind her back and unclasp her bra.

"I love you so much."


	32. You Are Who You Are

_OMG Lea, did you see the superlatives video yet?_

Lea's eyes widened as she read Dianna's text.

_Ummm no? Should I be worried? Lol x_

Lea hadn't actually taken part in the Superlatives Yearbook video. It annoyed her how she could never be in the behind the scenes features, but Ryan Murphy always had first dibs at her. It just so happened that the night the video was shot, she was doing extra shots for one of her solo musical numbers in the show, 'Cry'.

_Haha, just watch it! X_

She wasn't too concerned. She'd obviously expected some of her cast mates to talk about her in the video, it just made her nervous thinking about what they might have said.

20 minutes later, Cory bounded through her front door with a bunch of DVDs and a bag of popcorn in his hands.

"Lea! Where are you?" he shouted through the house, "I have some goodies! Movie night can officially begin!"

She came out of her bedroom, her hands folded across her body and a frown painted on her face.

"What's up, grumpy?" he chuckled, pulling her into a hug.

"I saw the video."

"What video?"

"The Superlatives Yearbook video!"

She didn't sound angry but there was a certain seriousness in her tone.

"Oh…"

Cory's cheeks flushed red. He totally knew what she was talking about.

"Well… if that didn't give it away, I don't know what else will!"

It confused him how she changed her mind so often. One moment she wanted to show him off to the rest of the world, the next, she was completely protective over their relationship.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. Would you have honestly been pleased with me if I would have said Naya or Dianna?"

A misty look glossed over her eyes.

It had always been so tough being compared to Dianna and Naya. They both looked completely different to they was he looked and somewhere deep inside of her, it bothered her.

"You honestly think I have a better body than Naya or Dianna?" she laughed hysterically, "That's ridiculous…"

Cory was now even more confused. Why wasn't she taking him seriously.

"Um. Yeah? Why else would I have said it?" he sounded so serious and straight forward.

"I dunno, because I'm your girlfriend, maybe? And you don't wanna hurt my feelings?"

She stared at the ground sheepishly, avoiding his strong gaze.

Just as she picked her head up to eye level once again, she felt his big strong arms wrap around her tiny waist.

Their sudden close contact sent chills down her spine, wracking her whole body into a shiver.

"You listen to me, lady." He pulled her gaze up to his, smiling at her softly, "You are beautiful. Your body is beautiful. You don't look like Dianna or Naya, you look better… okay? You're you, and that's what I love about you. I don't love you for your body or your beauty, I love you for who you are. Understood?"

She nodded her head gently as he slowly leaned into her face, slotting his mouth into hers.

Moaning into the kiss, she felt his arms snake their way around her back and to her butt, massaging it softly as their tongues wrestled.

It gave her a serious confidence boost when she felt the affects of her actions take their toll on Cory's body.

"I love you so much."

"Not as much as I love you."

"Oh yeah, wanna bet?" she tickled his underarms, causing him to squeal like a little girl.

"Oh, you've really got yourself into this one!"

He threw her over his shoulder and darted to the longue, where he finally placed her down on the sofa and began to tickle her.

Hearing her laughter was like winning the lottery for Cory.

Every time he heard it, he swore that a part of him died. She was just so perfect to him in every way.

"Stop! Cory if I kick you in the balls by accident, you'll hate me forever! STOP!" she squealed, trying to escape his mischievous hands.

He finally stopped tickling her once he got tired and laid himself down on the couch next to her.

"Okay, I take that back," she said, out of breath from laughing so hard, "I hate you."

She pouted her lips, scrunching her eyebrows at him.

"No you don't. You freaking love me."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do."

"No I don't!"

"Okay then, bye!" Cory laughed, rising to his feet and pretending to get up and leave.

Her eyes widened with shock as he turned her back on her.

"No I lied! I do love you! Come back!" she squeaked, tugging at his hoody.

Unable to handle her adorableness, he slipped back onto the couch next to her.

"Okay then." He grinned, laughing at her forced sad face, "Will a kiss make that sad face happy?"

She nodded her head frantically, pouting her lips out even further.

He took a moment to study her eyes before he took her lips and put them to good use.

Swirling his tongue around hers, he felt her heart rate pick up as she moaned into their long, hot kisses.

"So. Can we start movie night now?" she breathed, pulling away from the kiss and gasping for air.

"Sure. I brought you a ton of musicals."

"But you're not into musicals?"

"And you're not into Hockey, but we spent the entirety of last night watching a game. Come on, what do you want to watch?"

He spread out the DVDs he had brought with him on the coffee table.

Chicago, Rent, The Phantom of the Opera, Cabaret and My Fair Lady.

"Oooh please can we watch Chicago? Please please please?"

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she selected the DVD from the table, holding it in her hands as if it were the Queen's crown jewels.

"Of course," he said with a smile, kissing her nose before slotting the DVD into its player.

He slouched back down onto the sofa, relaxing his muscles for the first time all day.

"Hey!" Lea squeaked, pouting her lips once again.

He raised his eyebrows at her, completely unaware of what she was complaining about now.

"Where are my Cory cuddles?"

They did cuddle a lot. It was really the main function of the sofas, if he thought about it.

"How did I forget?" he said smoothly, "Come here!"

He opened his arms to her, securing them safely around her body as she cuddled into his lap

"That's better." She smiled contently, "Much better."


	33. Score

"We have a surprise for you!"

Cory's eyes widened in anticipation from across the dinner table. It wasn't every day that his girlfriend's parents decided to surprise him.

"Well a little birdie told us it was your 30th birthday last week," Edith said, smiling into Cory's gaze, "So we decided to give you a little belated birthday present."

Marc pressed an envelope into his hands, "Happy Birthday son!"

Son.

He absolutely loved that. It was something that he had never heard growing up. Every time Marc and Edith called him their son, he felt the hairs on his arms prick up. It made him feel so happy and as if he had been accepted into their big, loud Italian family.

"Open it!" Lea squealed, her eyes shining even in the low light.

Feeling the paper beneath his fingers, he couldn't help but grin at their kind gesture.

"Wow... You really didn't need to do this, really!"

"Of course we did! We wanted to celebrate with you in some way or another!" Edith said softly, smiling at how overwhelmed he was.

"Cory! Just open it!"

Lea was getting impatient now.

Slipping his fingers beneath the flap of the envelope, he pulled out 4 tickets to the New York Rangers Hockey game.

"And how did you guys know that I was going crazy without Hockey in my life?" he grinned, splaying the four tickets between his fingers, "Thank you so so much!"

Lea's parents were so kind to him. Every time he'd ever been in the city they'd invited him for dinner. Even before getting together with their only daughter. It was as if they were welcoming him into the family inevitably.

He rose to his feet and gave Edith a hug and a kiss on the cheek, thanking her for their kind gift.

"Thank you so much, you're really too kind." he shook Marc's hand, earning a friendly grin from the older man.

Lea had completely turned to mush seeing the way he interacted with her family. She never wanted it any other way. This was perfect.

"So the game is tonight?"

"Yep, sure is. We thought you two could go and do a bit of shopping after we're done with lunch. Then we'll all meet back here and get ready. What do you think?"

"I think that's a brilliant plan," Cory smiled, feeling Lea's head rest on his shoulder.

She placed her hands on his cheek bones, stroking them gently. Finally pulling him into a kiss, she slipped her tongue into his mouth, feeling Cory pull himself away just as quickly. She knew he felt somewhat weird kissing her in front of her parents.

She was always so comfortable showing her affection for Cory around her parents. She knew they knew how happy she was. That was all they truly cared about. Plus, both Marc and Edith thought they were an adorable couple.

"Come on, let's go." Cory finally said, breaking the awkward tension that he felt.

Grabbing Lea's hand, they both excused themselves from the table and set off for downtown Manhattan, keen to find some new clothes.

They'd spent 3 hours walking around SoHo hand in hand, browsing every store they came across and making small purchases

It was getting late. The sun was starting to set over Manhattan, causing the tall buildings to glisten orange and red.

After finally making it back to her parent's house, he stopped her before reaching the door.

"Just before we go in, I wanted to tell you that I really enjoy being here with you and hanging out with your family. It's really cool and they're really cool…"

She cut him off with a kiss, and this time, it wasn't her breath that was taken away. It was his.

When the kiss finally ended, he pulled her back to his lips, wanting more.

"Do we have to go to this Hockey game? Can't we just skip it and go back to the hotel?" he pleaded sarcastically, attempting to bat his eyelashes at her.

She laughed at his dorkiness. He was so goofy, but that was one of the biggest reasons why she loved him.

"I think you know the answer to that."

"I think I most definitely do. Sorry Lee, but I need my Hockey fix."

She hit his arm playfully as they finally opened the door and let themselves into the house.

40 minutes later, Marc, Edith, Lea and Cory were all set for the game.

They took their seats inside the arena and patiently waited for the game to start as the players warmed themselves up on the ice.

"Cory?"

"Mhmmm"

"How does Hockey work? I've never seen a game before!"

A look swept across his face as she realized that she'd woken a sleeping giant.

She suffered through a 20 minute explanation of how the game worked and all the different terminology.

He thought she was absolutely adorable when she kept shaking her head and squeaking when she didn't understand what he was trying to explain to her.

The game finally started 15 minutes later than originally planned.

All of Cory's explanations had clearly flown right over her head as she didn't understand a thing.

But she was happy, because he was happy.

She'd picked up on how relaxed he was with her. He usually kept himself to himself in public, not wanting anyone to find out about their relationship. But on this occasion, that had been completely disregarded. His arm flung over her shoulder from the moment the game started.

Feeling loved up, Lea couldn't help but reciprocate his affection. It just felt right being beside the three people who loved her most in the world. It was an amazing feeling, and she was going to make the most of it.

Giggling whenever Cory got excited about the game, he always turned her attention back to her, falling deep into her eyes.

"This is awesome." He sighed, scanning her face and thinking about how lucky he was to be holding her in his arms in public.

He'd made it clear from the start of their relationship that he didn't want them to be exclusive. He didn't live like that. Being a celebrity was not something that Cory wanted. He saw himself as a normal person with a normal life. He just wanted a normal relationship with a girl whom he had some serious, serious feelings for. He didn't want the pressure of the spotlight to put a strain on their relationship, something that he cared more about than anything else in the world.

But something was different. He felt so comfortable around her in public and he didn't know why.

There was no shred of doubt that she wasn't seriously out for him tonight. Her body never left contact with his at any point during the game. It just further confirmed to him how much she really was in love.

After sharing a few hugs and snuggles in front of the entire Hockey crowd, they finally felt it coming.

They'd felt it coming for such a long time and now it was actually happening.

She couldn't stop herself from cupping his cheek and bringing his mouth to hers, sucking at his lips sweetly and purring at their contact.

It wasn't a big kiss, but it was enough for him to feel a little excited.

"I love you so much." He whispered into her ear after seeing Edith and Marc smile gaily at them.

They both knew that they'd taken a big step in their relationship, letting themselves just go with the moment in public.

After all, their careers meant so much to the both of them, but now that they were so serious and so content with each other, everything else just seemed to melt away.

Although the New York Rangers lost the game, he definitely felt as though he'd scored and won the prize.

She was the best prize he could have ever wished or asked for.


	34. UnFaithfully?

Things had been tense lately, and they both knew it.

She wasn't sure why he was so anxious and stressed out all the time.

And he didn't quite understand her anymore.

It was as if something was keeping them apart, but Lea wasn't quite sure what or who it was.

After an evening date to the movies with Jonathan, Lea returned home to find Cory sat at her kitchen table with a heartbroken look on his face.

"Cory?"

He didn't respond to her soft tone.

All she wanted was the old him back. The old him who used to laugh with her and constantly goof off. She wasn't sure where the old Cory had gone.

"Cory? Why are you ignoring me?"

He looked up at her. A cold, sharp look firing from his eyes and straight into her own.

"Why are you ignoring me, Lea?"

The bitterness in his tone made her take a step back. She'd never heard him speak to her like that before and it scared her somewhat. He'd always been so kind and gentle.

"W-What are you talking about?"

He stood up to face her. A crestfallen look still lingering on his face.

"You honestly don't know why I'm upset? Are you being serious right now?"

Her chest started heaving up and down with anxiety. She was completely clueless to whatever he was talking about.

"Cory, I'm being completely serious!" she tried to loop her arm around his, but he took a step back form her, his face turning red.

"Talk to me! Tell me what's bothering you! How else am I supposed to know?"

"Because it's obvious, Lea!"

"What's obvious?"

"That you're in love with Jonathan!"

He hadn't realized that they'd started shouting at each other.

Their whole conversation was quickly turning into a full blown argument.

But hearing Cory say his piece made Lea laugh. She couldn't help but laugh, as much as she didn't want to.

"Why the fuck are you laughing? I'm so torn up about this and all you can do is laugh?"

Feeling guilty, she opened her mouth to apologize and explain everything to him, but he quickly jumped in before her.

"Look, I understand you've been through a lot with Jonathan. I get it. You're best friends, you literally grew up together and you're super close. I understand and respect that." He could feel tears burning at the back of his eyelids, but there was no way he was going to cry in front of her here and now.

"But do you know how it makes me feel when you constantly text him and go on dates with him and coo about how much you love him? I'm pretty sure you say you love him more than you tell me that you love me! How would you feel, Lea? I've tried to hold this in for so long, but I just can't handle it anymore! If you want to be with him, why don't you just get this over and done with and hop on over to Jonathan? He's way more suitable for you anyway. He's a big Broadway star and I'm just a loser. But why do you do this to me? It's killing me!"

His voice finally cracked with emotion. He couldn't help all the feelings inside of him eat him up.

Being a jealous boyfriend was something that Cory had sworn never to be. But he just loved her so damn much, he didn't want to lose her altogether.

He saw tears rolling down her face, making him feel guilty for shouting and being so incredibly accusatory.

"Cory. I love you, no one else. I can't believe you'd accuse me of loving someone other than you." She sniffed, her red eyes blurring his face through her vision.

"Well you seem pretty cosy with Jonathan."

"Cory… Jonathan is gay."

If it would have been possible to dig a hole and bury himself in it right then and there, he would have.

He'd never felt more ashamed or embarrassed in his entire life.

"Of course, when we first met there was that sudden connection. But Jonathan knew who he was and I was learning who I was. That's why we're so close, Cory. We grew together. I can't believe that you thought I was cheating on you! I thought you trusted me and what we share?"

The tears kept pouring out of her eyes.

Not only had he made false accusations, he'd seriously upset his girlfriend who had just returned from a lovely night with her best friend.

"Lea… I'm so sorry."

"But why don't you trust me, Cory? I trust you with my life! When have I ever given you reason to doubt my faithfulness to you? Why haven't you talked to me about this before?"

It was probably not the best idea to pull her into his arms and hold her, but he did. And she let him.

"I'm sorry. I honestly don't know what came over me, Lee." He said truthfully, peeling her from his chest to look into her eyes, "I just love you so fucking much. I didn't want to lose you. I guess I got so worked up about the situation, I couldn't see the logic behind all of it. I'm so so sorry."

He wiped her eyes with his sleeve, kissing the bridge between her eyebrows.

"It's okay. I just want you to know that I'd never ever cheat on you or love anyone else for as long as we're together and happy. We've both sacrificed so much for each other. Do you think I would've put our friendship and our working relationship on the line if I wasn't serious about being with you?"

Automatically his shoulders dropped from their tense position. He felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted off of his back. He could finally go back to being the happy person he truly was.

"Okay," he smiled and gave her a sweet 'make up' kiss. "But I still feel awful. I mean, I just accused you of being in love with your gay best friend."

She laughed heartily at his concerns, leading him over to the sofa where they slotted into their usual cuddling positions.

"I can't believe you didn't know he was gay!"

"I can't believe you never told me he was gay!"

"Like you needed someone to tell you, Cor! I seriously cannot believe that after 3 years of knowing him, you never picked up on the fact that he does not play for our team."

Thinking back to all the times he had talked to Jon and interacted with him, it really did make sense.

"You're right." He chuckled, kissing her again on the lips, swishing his tongue around her mouth, "I guess my gaydar is kinda crappy."

"I guess it is."


	35. Hate On Me

Screaming would do the trick.

Screaming would release all the anger and the angst that she was feeling in the current moment.

She couldn't believe that some of her own fans were saying such disrespectful things about her.

Why couldn't they be happy for her?

Why couldn't they be happy for him?

But more importantly, why couldn't they be happy for them?

It frustrated her knowing that no matter what she did with her life, someone would always complain about it and try and bring her down.

Lea was in love with Cory. Ever since she met him she had always felt something deep down inside of her light up. It was a known fact that they wouldn't have been able to hide their feelings for each other forever. They had both realized that within months of knowing each other.

She'd had no idea that being in love and being happy would make some of her fans so bitter and mean.

Not that she particularly cared much. They weren't in any position to tell her what to do with her life. She didn't live for them. She lived for herself, whether they like it or not.

"Cory! Come and see this!"

It was definitely a sign that she was pissed off if she used her 'I hate being a celebrity' tone.

"What's up? What did they say about me this time? I don't think anything can beat the story about me cheating on you when I went away with the boys…"

She tapped her ipad, turning it around and showing Cory a video that Marc Malkin had posted about their night at Chrysalis.

Marc Malkin was basically feeling the wrath of THEIR so-called fans.

"Why are people still saying that we're paying people to confirm our relationship? I'm so so so sick of this, Cory! It makes me want to just completely shut myself away from the world. I'm so tired of this. It's aging me, look at me!"

There were many things that Rachel Berry and Lea Michele shared in common. One of the biggest common factors between them were their tendencies to over react and dramatize every situation they faced.

He sat down beside her and pulled her into a weary hug, running his fingers through her hair.

"Listen. What we share is worth this. I know it's hard to see and hear, but it comes with the price we have to pay for our profession."

"I know, but come on now, this is getting ridiculous! If they only knew how hard we tried to shelter our relationship and stop them from saying this sort of thing! I can't help but feel bullied by my own fans!"

He could feel her body temperature rise. The way she was freaking out surprised him.

"Those fans are just jealous, Lea. They're jealous because they have this perfect little world inside their heads where you're in a relationship with Dianna or Mark or anyone but me. That's why they're being assholes, because they want to see you with anyone but me. How do you think that's supposed to make me feel?"

"Pretty shitty I guess…"

"Yeah, it is supposed to make me feel shitty… but it doesn't. Do you know why?"

She shook her head in awe of his words.

There were times when he really inspired her, and this was one of them.

"Because I have you. Because I know what we have is real. There is no one in this world who can tell us what our relationship is about. No matter how many people say that we're dating for publicity, I won't care, because I know that's not true and so do you."

His words always calmed her and made her feel so much more at peace.

"See. This is why I love you, you make everything better."

She kissed his lips lovingly, giving him access to do whatever he pleased with her mouth.

"But I still don't understand these crazy people. Have you seen some of the graphics they make of us?"

"Lea…" he sighed wearily, trying to pull her away from the ipad that she was tapping on frantically.

"No, please. I want us to laugh at this, cause some of this is truly ridiculous."

And they did laugh.

She showed him graphic after graphic and comment after comment.

"Look at Cory Monteith, he looks like he's at a funeral."

"That's disgusting. He looks like he's holding his little daugher's hand."

"LOL Monchele. More like MITH."

"The day Lea and Cory break up, I will throw a massive party for all the Monchele shippers and laugh in their faces."

"PRomance for Cory and Lea. Wow. How sad has the world become?"

After having a good laugh, Lea's face fell again at the reality of the situation.

"Lee. You're just looking at all the negativity. There's so many more positive responses to our relationship. Look."

He tapped the ipad, gathering up some posts to show her.

"You can tell Lea and Cory really love each other. I'm so happy for them."

"We all knew it was going to happen some day. Just look at them. Look at how adorable they are."

"MONCHELE NEED TO HAVE BABIES AND LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER AND OMG MY FEELS I CAN'T EVEN CONTROL MYSELF RIGHT NOW I'M SOBBING SO HARD I CAN'T EVEN BREATHE JESUSS TAKE THE WHEEL OH MY GOD ABOVE HELP ME IOGJLOGJDOPHDPHJKD"

They laughed hard at the last one. It turned out that there were a lot of posts very similar to that of the last one.

"So. You're going to promise me now that you will never let this bother you again, okay?"

She pouted at him, his heart skipping a beat at how adorable she looked when she pulled her trade mark sad face.

"Okay. But I just don't like it when other people like Marc Malkin are brought into it. He shouldn't have to deal with that."

"No, he shouldn't, but does it honestly look like he gives a crap? I don't think it does."

"You're right."

She licked her lips and slowly placed them onto his neck, sucking his skin lovingly.

"Thanks, Cor. I feel better now."

"No shit you do." He gasped, her touch taking his breath away.


	36. Is Spooning Allowed?

Throwing her keys into her bag, she knocked on his door, a smile fixed on her face.

It'd been 3 days since she'd seen him.

Becoming the spokeswoman for Candie's had literally been a dream come true for her. She remembered idolizing Britney Spears when she was younger, a former Candie's girl. It was insane to her knowing that she now held the title that she once owned.

She loved how they kept calling her and asking her to do photoshoot after photoshoot. But a 3 day photoshoot was really a bit too much to ask.

When Cory told her that some of his friends were planning on going away for the weekend, she insisted that he joined them and had some fun while she worked.

He had eventually agreed, obviously.

Looking down at her watch, she was scared that he'd already be asleep, although she knew that it was highly unlikely since he was sending her cute text messages.

He finally answered the door, grinning when he saw her beautiful face lit up by the moonlight.

"What are you doing here? It's like 12am!"

Not wanting to waste any time, he wrapped his arms around her, breathing in her scent and relaxing. It was crazy how much he missed her after being apart for only 3 short days.

"I wanted to see you. I only finished the shoot about an hour ago. I'm exhausted. Can I come in?"

She didn't need to say another word before he threw her over his shoulder and carried her into the house.

"Where is everyone?"

"Oh, they're out. Probably having some fun at their girlfriend's houses…"

"Cory!" she giggled, smacking him on the chest.

"What? I'm an adult. I can talk about sexy time if I want to."

He snaked his arms around her hips and snapped his mouth onto hers, moaning at the sensation the kiss was giving him. She ran her fingers through his hair, lightly tugging at his tufts.

"Speaking of sexy, the last time you did a Candie's shoot, I almost exploded in front of the entire cast…"

"Which is why I will never, ever show you my professional photo shoot pictures in public again, mister."

That had been an embarrassing experience for both of them.

It had just been a normal day on set after Christmas break. Lea had spent the weekend doing her first photo shoot for Candies. Of course she wanted to show her relatively new boyfriend the pictures. The entire cast just happened to be there while he got a little excited.

"Can I see your new pictures, Lee?"

"Are you crazy? We just finished shooting today! I'll probably get a first look sometime next week!"

He rested his head on her forehead, giving her a knowing look.

"I know you have candids, Lea. You always take pictures for Edith whenever you do a photo shoot! Please show me!"

He sat her down on his lap, his face pulled into his classic sad face.

It was adorable, but she wasn't giving in to him.

"Nope! It'll ruin the surprise!"

She could feel his hand travelling up and down her thighs, her body shaking under his touch.

"Cory, stop it." She giggled, flicking his nose with her finger, "Stop trying to blackmail me."

"I'm not trying to blackmail you, Lee…"

She felt his hot breath against her neck, sending shivers down her spine and making the hairs on her back prick up.

"I just want to see how beautiful my girl looks. Because the last photo shoot you did was so hot."

She pulled away, laughing at him.

"Yes, I know! You decided to share that with Twitter, didn't you? You're a wise man for answering that question during your Question and Answer! Totally didn't give anything away at all!"

She'd never let him forget that. Ever since he tweeted about her photos looking hot, she'd teased him about it constantly.

"Well I couldn't lie to one of our fans now, could I?" he smirked, pulling her back onto his lap, "That would've just been downright rude!"

"Or you could've ignored the question…"

"But you did look hot! Those pictures of you are so sexy and I can't help the fact that you're so beautiful…"

"Oh shush you big softy!" she said, covering his mouth with her small hands.

"What? I'm a man… I have feelings!"

"And I'm a woman and I have feelings! And do you know what I'm feeling right now? Tired. So stop trying to seduce me, asshole!" She threw her head back laughing.

They had such a special relationship. They could say the worst things to each other and just laugh about it. Neither of them were serious with what they said. There was an insane amount of love in their relationship and that was all that mattered.

"Okay, I understand. You've been working hard being sexy all day…"

"Cory, I'm being serious Lea now. You take that dirty mouth of yours and wash it out with soap!"

"Well excuse me, the Queen has spoken! It is okay for the lady to say 'asshole' but it is not okay for the man to say 'sexy'." He joked, playing up his whole speech.

"Stop calling me sexy."

"I didn't call you sexy, I just said the word sexy."

"Okay, you're annoying me, I'm leaving." She giggled, starting to lift herself up off of his lap.

When she felt his arms pull her back down, she knew she wasn't going anywhere.

He kissed her hard, cradling her weary head in his hands and putting as much passion into the kiss as he could. He knew that's all he was going to get tonight.

"Stay over? I happen to have this lovely big bed that we can…"

"Cory, why are you so insensitive? I'm so so tired!" she interrupted him, scowling.

"I was going to say 'a big bed that we can cuddle in', silly. I'm not that desperate."

She raised her eyebrows at him, clearly not believing his last sentiments.

"Okay, I will stay over if you promise to do nothing more than cuddle me. Promise?"

"Is spooning allowed?"

"Yes."

"Then yes, I promise!"

5 minute later, Lea was sound asleep in his arms. If he was honest, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way on this particular night.

He pressed a kiss to her hair before he fell into a deep slumber, his arms protectively wrapped around the girl that he was sure he was going to love forever.


	37. 20 Questions

It was another late night on the Glee set.

She wasn't sure why, but Lea absolutely loved working late with all her friends.

All their personalities came out when they started to grow tired and in need of coffee. Once they'd recharged their batteries with caffeine, there was no telling what they would all get up to together.

On one occasion they'd ended up playing 'Never Have I Ever'. Lea found out a lot more information about her cast mates on that night.

It was nights like these that brought them so close together and made them feel like a family.

This one particular night, all the girls sat in a circle on the floor of the auditorium set. The guys were recording half a number on their own and they were clearly not needed for a good couple of minutes.

"So… Lea." Dianna said, her voice teasing.

"Yes Dianna?" Lea responded, dramatically throwing her head to meet the blonde girl's face.

"Cory."

Confused, Lea scrunched up her nose at her friends.

"Yeah, Cory? He's there!"

She pointed over to the stage where he was filming the number.

Just as she pointed at him, the director called cut and he waved at her, grinning his big goofy grin.

"Do tell."

"Tell what?"

All the girls around her giggled, laughing at her naivety.

Amber, Jenna, Vanessa, Naya, Heather and Dianna all wanted scoop from the girl herself.

"You and Cory. How's it going?"

A look quickly graced her face that no one could have mistaken.

"Well, how do you think it's going?"

"Judging by your glowing complexion every morning…" Amber chimed in, being interrupted by Lea's hand softly smacking her shoulder.

After they'd all calmed down from laughing so hard, Naya cleared her throat to contribute.

"No really, please tell. What's he like?"

"Naya! I can't tell you that, it's private!"

"Sure you can, I tell you about my sex life all the time…"

"No but its different with Cory. It's like all you guys know him just as well as I do. Don't you think it'd be creep to know that sort of thing?"

Their wide eyes and pleading faces said what didn't really need to be said.

"No!"

"But guys, we're on set and…"

"Who cares? Just tell us!" Dianna said, clearly getting impatient with her friend's procrastination.

She took a deep breath in, thinking of how she could possibly explain their intimacy without being dirty and disrespectful.

"Okay. Let's just say that Cory is Cory. He's like he is in person. He's funny, he's kind, he's gentle… but there's a sort of fierceness in him that comes out and I think I really like it. He's really sexy when he gets all lusty and turned on."

All the girls laughed and nodded in awe of her.

It was strange to hear the things she was telling them, seeing as though they were both part of the cast and they were both like family to everyone else. But they had wanted to hear in the first place.

"Okay, but what's he really like?" Naya said, squeezing her hand and urging her to tell them.

"Well what do you think, Nay? Look at him. Look how tall he is. Do you really think his body is out of proportion or something?"

Her comment had totally tipped them all over the edge and they were all told to be quiet three times by the crew for laughing too hard. The way that she had said her sentence had been just perfect.

"But seriously. I know he looks all dorky and unserious about everything, but when it comes to the intimate stuff… he's one of the most intense, emotional people I have ever met. He's so sentimental and gentle and just so gracious about it. Apart from the times when we get drunk and do it, but that doesn't really count."

For a second, everyone stopped joking around and just listened to her. She was being genuine. They were so happy for her and so happy that Cory was treating her right, the way that she deserved.

"And you're happy with him, right?" Jenna said, rolling onto her stomach and resting her head on her hands.

"Oh my god, totally. It's very much a two way relationship, too. He does the things I like with me, then I'll do the things that he likes with him. We went and saw a show the other night at the Hollywood Bowl and he loved it. He said that he never would've gone if it weren't for me dragging him there, but he was glad that I did. And we had a Hockey night last week where we just cuddled up on the sofa and just watched the game. I didn't understand it at all… but it was really special just sharing his interests with him. That's what relationships are supposed to be about, right? The teamwork of it all. Not just sex and having someone to call theirs."

"Totally… that's so sweet." Vanessa squeaked, cooing at how adorable Lea was making them sound.

"I'm so glad you're happy, Lee."

"I am happy. I'm so happy. You know at first I was really worried that he wouldn't be happy. You know there's a lot that comes with dating me. I'm not the most chilled out, relaxed person to be around… but he loves me anyway and I think that's what is really special about him. He never knew I was half the things I am, but he loves me for them anyway. He really is a sweet man."

And as if they couldn't get any cuter to the girls, Cory decided to take a water break and sidle over to his girlfriend, placing a sloppy kiss on her lips.

"Speak of the devil!" Amber laughing, nudging Lea.

"Oh god. What's she been saying about me this time?" he said, pulling one of his goofy faces.

"Good things, Cory. Don't you worry."

Needless to say, she was highly embarrassed. All he could do was poke her ribs.

He totally knew what she'd said about him.


	38. Sing You to Sleep

"Cory, you're sick."

"No I'm not."

20 seconds later, he sneezed and knew automatically that her point had been taken.

"Lie down."

She propped up some pillows behind his head and watched him rest his heavy head down, his eyes relaxing a little.

"Here you go" she said softly, placing a cool towel on his head, an attempt to bring his fever down, "This is just like when Finn got sick, remember?"

He laughed wearily, taking her hand and placing a kiss on her star tattoo, located on her wrist.

"Lee, if you don't leave now you're going to be late for work." He croaked hoarsely.

She widened her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh, you think I'm going to work with you like this? No way."

She took out her phone and started tapping a message to Ryan, explain that Cory was basically on his death bed and if she didn't stay with him all day, she was pretty sure he would die a painful, lonely death.

"No, Lea! You are not skipping work for me! You've been looking forward to shooting this solo for weeks!"

"So what. I'll film it tomorrow."

"But Lea…"

"You need to shush. You are pretty damn unwell and I don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone all day. How many times have I been sick since we got together? And how many times did you miss work for me to take care of me?"

Once again, he felt as though her point had been taken, but still protested.

"But babe, I'm like 5 years older than you. I think I can take care of myself…"

"Well I'm telling you that you can't, so move over! I want to cuddle you."

He finally gave into her when Ryan texted back telling her to stay home since they were missing one of their key camera men anyway.

Even through his foggy, fevered mind he couldn't help but coo at how adorable she was taking care of him.

She'd been up with him half the night, worried sick.

"Okay so we're going to try and bring your fever down. The moist towel should bring your body temperature down, and now we need to give you something to feel better inside."

Before he had anytime to respond, she jumped off the bed and raided her medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

She returned several seconds later with a cocktail of tablets.

"Okay, so you take this one every 4 hours to stop your headache, this one every twelve hours to stop your stomach from getting unsettled, this one every 5 hours for…"

He interrupted her with a sneeze, causing her to grunt and place a small kiss on his red nose.

"Stop, I don't want you to get sick…" he sniffed cautiously.

"I don't care. I love you. I want you to feel better."

"Kissing me isn't going to make me feel any better, babe."

"No, but some TLC will. Here, take your pills."

She placed all of the pills that she had briefed him on into his hand.

Returning from the kitchen with a pint of water in her hand, she stood watching him take the pills one by one.

She hated seeing him like this. It was true that he couldn't be happy and healthy all the time, but it really killed her not seeing the normal Cory. He was such a weary man when his immune system failed.

"Now, what can we do to make Cory feel better?" she crawled back into bed next to him and led her head under his arm.

He wasn't sick to the point where he couldn't move or be conscious without wanting to die, he just had a bad cold that had finally got the better of him.

"You better not have mononucleosis Mr. Monteith…."

He laughed hoarsely, flaring up his chest and causing him to cough dryly.

She handed him his glass of water, stroking his arm affectionately as he recovered.

"I can promise you that I don't have mono babe, not unless I caught it from you!"

"I was joking…. But guess what? You still haven't told me what Lea can do to make Cory feel better!"

A cheeky smile appeared on his face.

"You could sing to me?"

Her eyebrows dropped into a frown and she shook her head violently.

"No! Cory, please no! I'm really not in the mood to sing right now."

His puppy dog eyes killed her, that along with his sexy hoarse voice and watery eyes.

"Fine, but only one song, okay?"

He nodded his head happily, spooning into her back as she sang her favourite musical theatre ballads to him. Of course she ended up singing more than one song once she had gotten into it.

She must've gone through half of her repertoire before she heard him snoring into her neck, his lungs rising against her back with every breath he took.

She smiled happily, nuzzling her head further into his chin, falling asleep along with him.

2 hours later, Lea woke to see her boyfriend staring at her, smiling.

"You're so beautiful, Lee."

"So are you. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thankyou."

She propped herself up on her elbows, amazed at how much better he looked. She could tell he still wasn't right though.

"So, what else can Lea do to make Cory feel better?"

He took a moment to think about it before smiling, knowing his answer.

"How about we watch some movies? Have a Cory Lea lazy day? You know, like we have on the weekend sometimes?"

She loved their lazy days. They always spent them cuddling on the sofa watching rom-coms and musicals. Cory enjoyed getting an educated in Musical Theatre. It made him so happy to see her share her love with him.

"I would love that! What would you like to watch, Cor?"

"You choose, babe."

She hopped up out of the bed and to her TV that was mounted on her wall.

"Nope, it's Cory's day today. Cory gets to choose."

"Yes, so that means Lea does what Cory says."

He chuckled out how cute they sounded speaking in third person.

She ended up choosing West Side Story and settling into Cory's arms to watch the movie.

"This is the best sick day ever…" he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek softly.

"Well you're the best boyfriend ever."


	39. Win You Over

He wasn't sure what they thought about him

Obviously they liked him. Edith and Marc had been so lovely to him when they visited Lea on set, but there was just something about the whole situation that made him so nervous.

He was dating their daughter.

Their one and only daughter.

Obviously she was their world.

And now, she was his world too. She was everything to him and she wanted her mum and dad to know that as much as she did.

He wanted them to know that this wasn't just some hook up. He was serious about her and what they shared. He wanted them to know that he wouldn't have started up their romantic relationship if he didn't think they were meant for each other. He wasn't willing to risk their friendship for nothing.

But how did he articulate it to them? He couldn't just come up to them and start blurting out sentimental stuff. He needed to prove himself first.

"Are you ready Lea? I don't wanna be late!" he called into her bedroom, nervously tapping his fingers against the door.

"Would you relax? You've met my parents before and they love you!"

She took a moment to wrap her arms around his next and kiss his lips sweetly.

"Yeah, they met me as your co-star not as your boyfriend."

"Cor, just wait until you meet them and get to know them properly. They've always been totally cool with all my boyfriends. Just chill out."

She thought she was reassuring him, but that seemed to make him even more nervous. Especially at the mention of all her ex boyfriends.

Not wanting to waste any more time, they headed out the door and into the city.

Staying in Manhattan had really opened Cory's eyes up to Lea's life. He could see why she adored the city so much.

They were the first ones at the restaurant, taking their reserved table and claiming it.

He was glad that Edith and Marc hadn't gotten there before they had. He would've hated to have been tardy for their double date.

It wasn't long until Lea saw her mother's face appear in the door way of the restaurant.

She jumped up out of her seat, holding her mother in a tight embrace. Marc was next, getting a big kiss on the cheek from his little girl.

Cory felt awkward standing beside her as she greeted her parents. They eventually shifted their attention to the tall Canadian who was just about to pass out from nerves.

"Hi Cory!" Edith smiled, leaning up to give him a hug.

"Hi, it's lovely to see you again! You look great!"

She blushed slightly at his compliment.

He turned to Marc, holding out his strong hand to shake Father Sarfati's.5t

"Hi Marc, how are you?"

"I'm well thanks, happy to be here!"

His words unnerved Cory a little, but he suddenly felt a tad more relaxed when he felt Lea grab his hand and squeeze it softly.

"Would you guys like to sit?"

He gestured for them to sit down, finally lowering himself onto his own chair when everyone else was seated.

"So Cory, how're you liking the city?"

He glanced at Lea as her mother asked him the question, smiling softly under her own gaze.

"It's beautiful. I love it. Lea's an incredible tour guide. She showed me all the places you guys used to go when she was little… it's incredible really."

They smiled at him warmly, appreciating how interested he was in her life. Past, present and future.

"So… do you guys wanna tell us what happened?"

It was the question Cory had been dreading. He didn't actually know her parents were going to ask them how their relationship came about, but it was anticipated.

Lea shifted her hand to his knee, stroking it gently.

"Mum, did you really have to ask that right now? You haven't even had wine yet!"

They all laughed, amused by her.

"Well sorry for wanting to know!" Edith replied laughing, her eyes softening when she caught Cory's eye.

He knew that the best way to win over her parents was to just tell them what they wanted to hear.

"If Lea won't tell you, I will?" he piped up, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

Marc was definitely impressed at his bravery.

"Go ahead…"

Exhaling, he tried to form sentences in his head.

"Okay, so I think it was November when we both sat down and had a long chat. We talked about everything and we finally felt as though it was time we faced our feelings. They've been there for a long time, for me at least and it was just becoming extremely hard to hide them. So, slowly but surely we moved into a romantic relationship. We didn't want anyone to know because we were scared that people would take it for advantage. I mean, look at us! We haven't even confirmed our relationship and there are more than 200 articles on us dating in the past 3 months. All I know is that I am extremely happy with Lea and I'm so glad we took a chance. Your daughter is the most beautiful, passionate woman I have ever met. I'm so lucky that I get to share my life with her."

He was scared that he'd said too much, although judging by the looks on both Edith and Marc's faces, he'd said just enough.

He could swear there were tears in Lea's eyes when he looked at her. She just smiled and clasped his hand into hers.

"You're so sweet, Cory. And I'm so glad you two finally got together."

Lea's eyes widened, her mouth almost dropping open.

"Finally?"

"Yeah? Come on Lee, it was going to happen at some point. That time when we visited you on set last year, there was so much sexual tension between you two… I thought I was going to explode." Marc laughed, placing a hand on Lea's shoulder.

"Dad! Don't be so crude!" Lea said, holding her head in her hands.

"He's just speaking the truth, honey." Edith said, quickly flipping through the menu that had been placed in front of her, "In other words, we're really glad you guys are together. Finally you've got yourself a kind, handsome gentleman, Lea."

He wanted to scream with excitement. He truly felt victorious. He'd definitely won over her parents, and right now, that was all that mattered.


	40. Firework

"I have a surprise for you, darling.

"Oh yeah?"

She turned in his arms, leaning up to press a small kiss on his lips.

They'd just returned from holidaying in Europe and she was cleaning the outdoor grill so that they could use it later than evening.

"Yep. I think you're gonna like it too!"

She snaked her arms around his neck, wrapping her legs around his waist as he kissed her lips hotly, not even pulling away from her swollen mouth when his lungs burned for oxygen.

"Can't you just tell me now? I'm not sure if I'm gonna want to know what the surprise is if you keep teasing me like this!" she gasped as he nibbled her earlobe, sending her crazy.

"Trust me, you'll appreciate it so much more if you wait."

She knew he was probably right, but that didn't make her any less anxious for what his surprise was.

It was a known fact that she strongly disliked surprises.

"Okay. I trust you."

"Good."

He took her lips in his again, running his tongue along the inside of her mouth, making her moan and sigh.

They spent the rest of their afternoon sunbathing together in the sunshine, soaking up the LA rays that they'd missed whilst they were in Europe.

Cory bought and cooked dinner for them both, setting up a table in her backyard with candles and flowers.

He decorated the entire garden with fairy lights and additional grass candles, sticking them into the ground so that they burned from the air on their sticks.

He knew he'd trick her into thinking that this was the surprise.

She'd gushed at how romantic he was being and awarded him with as many kisses as he wanted. Especially since he'd driven 20 minutes to a store that carried her favourite brand of champagne, just so she could sip on it gaily.

After they'd finished their meal and Lea had voluntarily cleaned up, Cory led her out of the front door of her house, locking it behind him.

"Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." He grinned, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

Her face crinkled again, her eyebrows burrowing into confusion.

"B-But I thought?"

"Nope, that meal was not the surprise, silly."

"Cory! You must have spent over $200 on that meal! No way!"

"Oh shush, you're worth it. I love you and you're my girl. My girl gets the best."

He was definitely earning himself a lot of kisses tonight. She couldn't help but melt at his words.

She still had no idea where he was taking her, but they were walking away from her house in a direction that she'd never travelled before. She didn't want to question him anymore since she was somewhat enjoying the mystery of it all.

They finally reached an opening that led to a small field on a hill.

"Wait, we have hills in LA?"

"In this part of LA we do, babe." He chuckled at her excitement over the green pasture in front of them.

He took her hand and walked her up the hill with him until they reached a tree decorated with even more fairy lights. Hanging from the branches were little heart shaped cards. Each card had a memory on it, written by Cory.

"When we filmed Faithfully together, that was the moment I knew you were going to be a big part of my life for a long time."

"During filming for The First Time, I almost lost my cool and came so close to admitting my true feelings for you."

"I actually got jealous when Jesse tried to win Rachel back in Season 2. I missed being your boyfriend."

"I felt tears burn that back of my eyes when Finn proposed to Rachel. It felt too real to me."

She read them one by one.

It must have taken her more than 10 minutes because her eyes were so misty and he must have written more than 25 memories on the cards.

"Cory… I'm speechless. I don't know what to say." She flung herself at him, nuzzling her face into his warm neck, holding his body as close to hers as possible.

Kissing his lips, a tear squeezed from her eyelids, dropping onto his shoulder.

"I'm so happy. I love you so much."

She hadn't even noticed her main surprise.

Just behind where Cory was stood, there was a picnic blanket laid out on the grass with two pillows at the top end. A picnic basket containing strawberries and other fresh fruits was also laid on the blanket. That's when she noticed the extra bottle of champagne laying in a small ice box in the grass.

"I wanted to bring you up here today to show you the Independence Day fireworks. I've never seen them before seeing as I'm not American, but I thought it'd be nice if I shared my first 4th of July experience with you."

"But you didn't need to do this, Cor! This is too much! I feel like Rachel Berry right now!" she squeaked, her voice thick with emotion. As if the meal wasn't enough. As if just being with him wasn't enough.

"You're right. I didn't need to do this, but I did. Because I love you and I'm a hopeless romantic and always looking for ways to sweep you off your feet."

"Well it worked." She whispered, running her hands up his chest and looping her arms around his neck once again.

He kissed her sweetly. It was probably the most perfect kiss they had ever shared together. It was romantic and so full of love. It was everything that Lea had ever dreamed of in a kiss. Not only did he take her breath away, but he constantly reminded her how much he loved her with his small little gestures in the kiss.

"I love you so much, you crazy boy."

"I love you more." He kissed her nose, bringing her down to the blanket. "It's getting dark, I can see some fireworks already!"

Just as she reached for the champagne, she realized that there weren't any glasses.

"Tell me you didn't…."

"Oh I totally did, Lea.

"Oh my god, no! I'm going to cry!"

Just as she anticipated, he pulled out two airplane cups from the picnic basket, placing one in her small hand.

He poured the champagne into her cup, watching her eyes gleam at his adorable reference to their show.

"We should toast. To us?"

"To us. Cheers!"

They clinked their plastic glasses together, smiling at their déjà vu feelings.

After taking a sip of her champagne, she ran her tongue along her lips sneakily.

"You know you can kiss me if you want to?"

She could've sworn that she'd never seen him grin so big in his entire life.

"I want to."

But their kiss wasn't like Finn and Rachel's first kiss. There was a lot more to their relationship now.

After their short embrace, Cory pulled her into his arms, watching her face light up as the fireworks created beautiful patterns in the sky.

There was no place on Earth he'd rather be.

"


	41. Confession

"When is this going to stop, Lea?"

Her eyes were watery and his were red.

"When are you going to stop pretending and just surrender to yourself? Why are you torturing yourself?"

"I seriously don't know what you're talking about…"

"Yes you do! I know you do. Why are you lying to me?"

He couldn't keep his frustrations bottled up any longer. The tension between them was literally killing him. All he wanted was everything to be out in the open. It was affecting their working relationship and that was something he was totally not okay with.

"I-I'm not lying to you."

Staring at the ground, she avoided eye contact with him. Knowing that if she did fall into his eyes, she'd break down and confess.

"Yes you are. I never thought you'd lie to me, Lea. I know there's something here… I'm telling you that there's something here and you're not talking to me. Talk to me!"

"There's nothing to talk about, Cory. I think you should leave."

Opening her trailer door, she gestured for his departure although they both knew that he wasn't leaving without answer.

"There is something to talk about, actually."

"Oh yeah, and what's that?" she said coldly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"We could talk about how you love me."

Looking around, she scowled at him and slammed her trailer door shut.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about! You love me Lea!"

"No I fucking don't!"

She was scared that their argument was getting a little too loud. The last thing she wanted was people to be talking about them fighting in her trailer.

All Cory wanted was for them to be honest with each other, and behave like mature adults. He honestly didn't think he could handle his heartache anymore.

"Lea, I know its hard for you to accept… but I know that there's something here. I can feel it when we kiss. You can't tell me that the feeling you get when we kiss is just acting. It's so much more than that, and I think you know it. I think that you know how you feel but you're just too scared to admit it to yourself because you're so protective over your career. I get it. I totally understand… but that's no reason to keep brushing aside your feelings and not facing them like you should be. I just want you to be happy."

"And you think that you coming to my trailer yelling at me is going to make me happy?"

It felt like she'd just kicked him in the balls.

She was right. He was totally out of order for coming to her on set and unloading on her like this, but he honestly couldn't act alongside her with the angst he was feeling. He needed to get it off his chest.

They both sat in silence in her trailer for 2 full minutes.

Finally, Lea felt herself break, letting out a huge, ugly sob.

His automatic reaction was to pull her into his chest and cradle her while she cried. He'd really stepped in it this time, shouting at her and forcing her to admit her feelings. It scared him to wonder if it had ruined their friendship.

"Lea… I'm so so sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude, I'm so sorry."

She was sobbing into his shoulder, ruining her hair and make-up, something that the crew wouldn't appreciate.

He rocked her back and forth in his arm as she cried, not expecting a response.

"No, you're right…" she cried, lifting her head up and staring him in the eyes, "You're so right. I do have all these feelings. And you're right, I do love you. I love you so much."

I love you so much.

"Wait, you do love me? Like actually?" he said, trying to confirm that what he had heard was true.

"Yeah, of course I do. I always have… you know that."

His eyes were wider than they had ever been before in his life. He truly felt like he'd won the lottery.

"You've always loved me?"

"Ever since the day I met you," she continued to cry, "But I was so scared, Cory. Being in love with you is so scary. I never thought you loved me. I never thought you were interested in me and- and my career means so much to me, I never wanted to screw that up. That's why I never expressed my feelings for you. I just can't risk my career, Cory. I can't do it. If we started up a relationship and if for some reason it didn't work out, I don't think I'd ever have the strength to work alongside you again."

Emotion was really wracking through his body.

He was feeling so many things at the same time.

Happiness, sadness, guilt, anxiety, excitement, love, surprise.

Not knowing what to do with himself, he processed her dialogue and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his lap.

"Listen to me. I love you. You must've known that before today. What we share is real. Just like Finn and Rachel. Do you think that Finn and Rachel are supposed to be together?"

She shook her head, his finger brushing away her tears.

"Exactly. They're not supposed to be together, but they are. Do you know why? Because they love each other inevitably. They can't help but love each other because they're meant for each other."

He took a deep breath in. He knew that this was going to shock her.

"What if we're meant for each other? What if we're supposed to be together just like they are? We won't know until we find out for ourselves. All I know is that for the last 3 years, I've been in love with you. I've loved you for that long. I've loved you so much, through everything. When you were dating Theo, I thought I was going to punch his face in, every single time I saw the dude. I can't stop feeling like this, and I know you can't either. Why don't we just take a chance on us? Otherwise we could end up feeling like this forever."

It all made sense to her.

Although the whole situation made her extremely anxious, she was beginning to understand him more and more.

What if they really were meant to be together? There had always been something there between them, it'd just grown into something so much bigger throughout the 3 years that they'd known each other.

"Yeah. You're right. You're so right."

He exhaled in relief at her response. He was almost certain that she was going to lash back at him and call him ridiculous for thinking up such a theory.

"I can't feel like this forever. It's killing me too." She stared into his eyes, "I need to tell you something…"

He gave her a quick nod to assure her that he was listening to her every word.

"Well… Theo and I broke up a month ago. You know that… but it was because of you. You didn't do anything wrong, please don't take that the right way…. It was just, he knew that I had feelings for you. I don't know how he knew, but he knew. He wanted to set me free so that I could love you and be happy. I was going to tell you sooner, but I just couldn't! I didn't want to ruin our friendship, Cory!"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to cry.

Everything was just so confusing for her.

"Oh Lea, I'm so sorry… I didn't-"

"Don't apologize. It's not your fault. It's mine. It's all mine. I should've told you how I felt from the start. That way we wouldn't be in this big mess."

"It's a beautiful mess though. Look what we've achieved just now. I love you and you love me. Isn't that incredible? You have no idea how long I have waited for this day."

He felt her grip around him tighten as he spoke.

Wanting to speak to her properly, he gently peeled her off of him and looked her in the eye.

"I think we need to do this. I think we need to face the facts and deal with consequences, should there be any. My feelings for you are too strong to brush aside now. I can't live my life knowing that I loved you and that I could've done something to be with you, but didn't. We need to do this for us. It's the only way that we're going to be able to function properly."

The look in her eye was worth a thousand words.

"Yeah, I agree. It's not as if we're two teenagers falling in love. We're two adults. Two best friends who have been through so much together making a mature decision together. Although the idea still unsettles me, I know you're right. We need to do this."

That's all he needed to hear.

He stared into her large brown eyes, falling into them as his hand slowly rested itself on her cheek.

"I love you so much."

He pinched her lips in his, kissing them softly. He gasped into their embrace when she deepened the kiss, slipping her tongue into his mouth and moaning sweetly.

He'd never had a kiss as magical or as passionate before in his entire life.

"So…" she breathed, catching her breath once they finally pulled apart, "Does this mean I can call you my real boyfriend instead of my fake one, now?"


	42. Watch Me

"You don't have to come with me, you know."

"I know."

"I just- I don't want to drag you away from your weekend with the guys! You've been planning it forever!" she stomped her foot at him, her eyebrows scrunched together.

"You're not dragging me away from anything! I told you… I want to come and watch you film the number, but more importantly, who else is going to escort my beautiful girl to the met ball?"

Making her laugh was one of his favourite things.

She finally accepted defeat and continued to pack her suitcase, now adding pieces of Cory's clothing to the already overflowing bag.

"Well, seeing as though I have no say in the matter, I must say that I'm really glad you're coming."

She watched him arch his neck down to kiss her, pressing his lips against hers lightly.

5 hours later they landed in New York City.

Cory was like a little boy, getting excited and fidgeting the entire flight.

Once they'd checked into their hotel and freshened up, Cory nagged Lea to go and explore the city.

"Come on Lee, I've hardly seen the city! I wanna go explore! Hurry up!"

She rolled her eyes at his impatient behaviour. He was such a child inside.

"Cory, calm down! Help me zip up my dress and we'll go!"

He didn't need to be asked twice.

Zipping her up and placing a kiss on her cheek, they left the hotel in search of a decent restaurant for food.

After treating her to a meal and a few glasses of wine, he persuaded her to walk through times square with him, hand in hand.

"I love this place. All my dreams came true here." She said softly, squeezing his hand.

He looked down at her face. She looked even more beautiful with the lights of the square illuminating her face.

"You're incredible. Do you know that?"

Her cheeks reddened as he kissed her knuckles, leading her over to a table with two chairs.

They sat down, just watching the world go by. Not a word was spoken between for 5 minutes.

Cory was totally in awe of the world surrounding him.

It was so far-fetched from what he was used to and what grew up around, but something made him feel so connected to the place.

He realized it was her.

"We should go. We have to get up early for filming tomorrow. Are you coming?"

He didn't want to leave, but he knew that Times Square would be waiting for him in the morning.

"Sure." He smiled, lifting himself up off the chair and wrapping his arm around her waist, "Let's go and get some rest."

The next morning, Lea woke up in work mode, just as if she were filming in LA.

"Right, can you grab my phone Cor? We're going to be late if we don't leave now!"

He did as he was told and slipped the phone into her hand, earning a kiss on the cheek.

"Lets go."

They both arrived on set 10 minutes early. It was a relief for Lea as she couldn't stand tardiness.

"I'm gonna head into hair and make-up now, but I'll see you on set shortly, okay? My dad will be by in 15 minutes." She pecked his lips, smiling as she disappeared into her trailer.

He was actually looking forward to spending the day with Lea and her Father.

Cory had a pretty good relationship with both of her parents. They'd welcomed him into their family the second that Lea informed them of their relationship status. It was pretty awesome having such a solid, understanding relationship with them. Plus they were amazing people which made it even better for him.

He lost his breath when she stepped out onto set, smiling and giggling.

She radiated beauty with every single move that she made.

"So, sorry… what's the song that she's filming called again?"

Marc's voice brought him back down to earth. He quickly tore his eyes away from his girlfriend and looked down at the older man.

"Ah no worries, it's called 'Roots Before Branches'. Pretty sad actually considering which scene it follows."

"Oh yeah, Lea rang us in tears when she read the script…"

"She rang you too?"

The two men laughed at her expense, joking about how melodramatic she was about everything.

The crew members arranged a table and two chairs at the side of the set where Cory and Marc could sit and watch Lea filming.

They talked for hours.

They talked about Glee and LA and New York and Canada and Hockey and Food and Movies and Politics and everything inbetween.

Cory felt so comfortable around him. He kind of felt like the father he'd never had, although that was rather harsh to say on his own father's part.

It helped fill up the emptiness inside of him. The part of his heart where he was missing a close, loving family like Lea's.

"Hey guys!"

They both turned their heads to see Lea skipping towards them, grinning wildly.

She kissed her father on the cheek before placing herself on her boyfriend's lap and kissing him sweetly on the lips.

"How're my two favorite boys in the world? Does it look okay? I'm a bit nervous… it doesn't feel like it usually does."

"That's because you're not in a studio with lights and a set, sweetie…" Marc said, rubbing her shoulder as Cory snaked his arms around her hips and turned his body so that they were both facing her father.

"I guess you're right, dad. I just hope it looks okay."

"It looks amazing, babe." Cory said, kissing her cheek and releasing her from his grip when the director called her back to the set.

"Okay well, I better go. You guys don't have to do this, you know? I mean, I really appreciate it and everything… but I don't want you to waste your whole day sitting on the sidelines just watching me do the same thing over and over again."

Her words were rushed and mumbled, but they still understood her perfectly.

"Stop being silly and get back out there honey! We're enjoying watching you, so go!"

That was all she needed to hear.

Cory nodded his head, shooting Marc a knowing look. They both thought the same way.

Her hair bounced as she ran back to the set, straightening out her coat.

"Good luck, I love you!" he called after her, earning a smile from her father.


	43. Evacuate the Dancefloor

Halloween was one of her favourite holidays. She literally looked forward to dressing up all year long.

Since being on Glee, it had become tradition that they all hung out together on the night of the 31st.

This year Kevin had volunteered to hold a party at his house.

After spending hours trying to decide who she should dress up as, she finally chose the perfect characters for her and Cory.

She somehow managed to persuade Cory into dressing up as Mickey Mouse to match her Minnie.

He already owned a vintage looking Mickey Mouse shirt and she had a pair of Mickey Mouse ears from her trip to Disneyworld, so he agreed. He didn't look ridiculous, he just looked festive.

Plus, he thought it was adorable that she wanted them to match.

Lea wasn't as dressed down as Cory.

Her dress was the traditional polka dot design. It was much shorter than she would've liked, but it made her legs look longer, so she didn't mind.

Her hair was curled and styled with a pair of Minnie Mouse ears pinned onto her locks.

Her shoes were black platforms with a 4inch heel, making her feel less insecure.

She finished off her entire look with dramatic make-up, applying more than normal.

Puckering her painted lips together, she smiled at the reflection that stared back at her in the mirror.

"You. Look. So. Cute."

Cory sneaked up behind her and attached his lips to her neck, punctuating every word he said with a kiss.

"So do you. Thanks for dressing up with me," she smiled, turning away from the mirror and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"My pleasure. I'm pretty sure I'm the most awkward Mickey Mouse ever, though."

"That's the way I like you, awkward." She grinned at him, placing a small kiss on his cheek and staining his skin with lipstick.

"Come on then Minnie, we better get to the party!"

Since Cory and Lea weren't really party animals, they decided not to drink and just enjoy the night with their friends.

Jumping into Cory's car, she couldn't help but feel the excitement brewing inside of her.

Words couldn't explain how much she loved hanging out with her Glee family.

They pulled up outside Kevin's house 10 minutes later and walked up to his front door hand in hand.

Darren answered the door, screaming hilariously when he saw the couple standing in the door way.

"Oh my god, guys! They're here! Mickey and Minnie are here!"

Cory couldn't help but laugh. Darren had clearly had a few too many already.

Jenna, Heather and Mark all ran to the door, cooing and ah-ing at how cute they looked.

Lea wasn't sure who Darren was supposed to be. He looked like a pirate, but he was wearing a bra… which confused her even more.

Jenna was dressed as a ballerina, wearing a skimpy leotard and pink legwarmers.

Heather was dressed as Marilyn Monroe, rocking her famous white dress.

And of course Mark was dressed as Tarzan, completely naked except from some shrubbery covering his junk.

"Umm.. can we come in? It's pretty chilly out here!"

Darren opened the door wider and allowed them entrance.

"Hey guys!"

Kevin came down the hallway, a liquor bottle fixed to his hand.

"Hey Kev, nice costume!"

He was dressed as an eskimo and both Cory and Lea found it extremely hilarious.

"Thanks baby, but lets go! Let's go partaaaaaay!"

Kevin took Lea's hand as she grabbed Cory's and led them down to the basement of his house where there was loud music pulsating through the walls.

Of course it wasn't the normal clubbing music that was typical at parties, it was old 80's and 90's songs. Trust Kevin for that.

After sitting down on one of Kevin's couches and chatting with their friends for a while, Cory pulled Lea to her feet.

"Dance with me?"

"Since when have you ever agreed to dance with me in public?"

"Umm… since I love you? I dunno, that made no sense… just dance with me!"

Of course upon seeing Cory and Lea on the dance floor, Mark jumped to the boom box and chose a slow song.

Rolling their eyes at Mark's immaturity, they decided to take advantage of the slow song and press their bodies even closer together, swaying to the music.

Cory loved feeling so close to Lea. It was like he could feel every part of her and he loved that.

His arms were wrapped around her small frame tightly while her arms snaked around his neck.

"I love this. I feel like we're Finn and Rachel right now." She said softly, but loud enough for him to hear over the music.

"Yeah, why haven't we done this before as just us? Let's go dancing some time."

"But you hate dancing?"

"Not with you…"

"You're such a flirt."

She smacked him on the arm playfully as he started to nibble on her neck, patterning small faint love bites along her skin.

Eventually his lips met hers, sucking them roughly and punching his tongue through her lips.

They could both hear everyone around them cheering and teasing them for making out in the middle of the 'dance floor', but they didn't give a crap anymore. They had nothing to hide anymore.

Just as Lea was about to pull away from the kiss, Cory moved his mouth to her ear, tugging on it lightly with his teeth.

He was seriously driving her crazy. It made her wish that they'd never come to the party.

She reciprocated his actions and placed kisses all over his face, almost breaking her neck from having to reach up so high.

"Get a room!"

They snapped their heads to the source of the sound.

Of course Dianna was giggling and falling about herself teasing them.

Realizing that maybe they were getting a bit too hot and heavy in front of everyone, they returned to the sofa, cuddling up.

"That was fun."

"The dancing or the making out?" she teased, licking her thumb and removing some of her lipstick from his face.

"I don't think I have to tell you the answer to that question…"

"You're a dirty asshole, Cory Monteith."

"Yeah but you love me…"

He flashed her his charming smile, giggling softly at how adorable he was.

"Yeah, I do."

She kissed his mouth again, feeling her body bubble up under his touch.

It was definitely her favourite holiday, Halloween.


	44. Sex in the City

Bottle of wine in hand, Lea knocked on Chris' hotel room door, automatically hearing the shrieks and giggles from the other side.

"Lea!" Chris gushed, pulling her into a massive hug.

She wasn't sure why he was so surprised to see her, he'd seen her literally 20 minutes ago at dinner.

Amber, Dianna, Naya, Heather and Jenna were all sat on Chris' bed, painting their nails, reading gossip magazines and singing along to the music videos that were playing on the TV.

"I brought us a little treat!" she smiled, handing the bottle to Chris who promptly placed it in his ice box.

Lea kicked off her slippers and jumped onto the bed next to Dianna, giggling when the springs made a dangerous sound.

"So! What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh just everything, you know?" Chris started, "Glee, guys, fashion, music, make-up, guys… mainly guys."

Lea smiled. She loved Chris' sense of humour. He tried to act like he didn't like being around the girls 24/7, but everyone knew he absolutely loved it. He was so Kurt Hummel inside.

"Speaking of guys…" Naya said, shifting her eyes from Heather's nails to Lea's face, "What did you and Cory get up to today?"

They'd all been flown out to New York by FOX to do some promotional stuff. Nothing major, they just needed to be there for the big press conference that was taking place a few days later.

"Nothing much. We had lunch with my parents and then spent the rest of the day cycling around central park."

The 5 girls, and Chris, all gave each other knowing looks.

"Mhmmm… and were you not tired? I mean walking around all day after everything last night…"

Lea felt her cheeks burn and her heart rate pick up.

"W-What are you talking about?"

They all burst into laughter, watching her face fall dramatically.

"Oh Lee, we all know you know what we're talking about." Dianna laughed, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"How did you even know about that?"

"Girl, i'm pretty sure every single person in this entire hotel knows about what you and Cory got up to last night." Amber giggled, lying down on her stomach, her laugh vibrating

Her worst nightmare had come true.

There were reasons why she never told her friends about her personal issues, especially when it came down to things like her and Cory's intimate relationship. She had never been willing to talk about that with anyone but him.

"Why are you talking about this? This is so embarrassing!" She winced, burying her head in her hands, muffling out the sounds of her friends laughing.

"Why? What's embarrassing? It sounded like it was pretty hot to me…" Naya said, reaching over Jenna's body for the nail file.

"How the hell did you hear?" Lea squeaked, "Your room is like 20ft away from ours?"

She wished that she could dig a hole and bury herself in it.

She'd never felt so embarrassed in her entire life.

"Has Cory ever told you how loud you get, honey?"

"Nay, I dunno! Cory was pretty loud too!" Dianna chipped in, raising her eyebrows at her horrified friend.

"Can we stop talking about this please? Can't you see I'm dying of embarrassment here?"

Chris offered her the wine bottle, to which she willingly took it out of his grip and swallowed straight from the bottle.

"I don't know why you won't talk about it, Lee. We always tell you what we get up to…" Jenna said truthfully, trying to ease some of her humiliation.

"I'm just not comfortable with it. I don't know why, but I'm just not."

"Honey, we're adults… we're not teenagers anymore. It's only human for us to talk about sex." Amber said, "We're your best friends, Lea. You know we're not bitches. We'd never take advantage of you."

It made Lea feel a little better to hear Amber's words.

Chris was right, she did give the best advice.

"I think its good to talk about it. You know, share experiences with each other and stuff?" Heather said, blowing her nails dry and admiring Naya's handiwork.

"I mean, come on Lea… to be honest, I can't believe you're embarrassed. Imagine how I felt about the whole 'sex in trailer' thing."

That made Lea feel even more uncomfortable about the whole situation.

If only they knew what really went on in their trailers on set.

Surprising things.

"I mean, how would you feel if your boss knew that you'd had sex in your trailer with another one of your co-stars? Now that is worth getting embarrassed over!"

The whole room erupted in laughter.

Each one of them thought back to the day when Ryan called them all into a conference room and briefed them on 'the importance of being professional on set at all times.'

He then turned to the media and openly told everyone that two of his actors had done it in their trailers and had hereby instated the 'No sex in trailers' rule.

"Naya, as embarrassing as that must've been for you… I still just don't feel comfortable talking about it." Lea confessed once and for all, relaxing her shoulders a little, "It's a very personal, private thing for me. It's something that means a lot to me and I don't want to share it, not because I don't trust you guys, but because it is so special for me… If I told you guys all the nitty gritty details, I feel like I'd be betraying Cory in some way, breaking the beauty of our relationship. I know he never, ever talks about it with any of his guy friends, even though they practically bombard us with questions every time we're around them."

It made sense to the girls.

Lea was a very emotional, passionate person.

When she treasured something in her life, she made sure she protected it with all her energy.

The girls, and Chris, found it so unbelievably refreshing to know how much Lea respect herself and how much she respected her relationship with Cory.

"We're sorry Lee… we didn't mean to pressure you or anything…"

"Oh god no! Don't worry about it! It's not you guys, it's me. I'm just weird about this sort of thing."

She shrugged her shoulders, completely dismissing the conversation and smiling at her friends who just stared at her in awe.

"Okay, fine." Naya said with a smile, "But all I'm gonna say is that what I heard last night sounded super, super hot."

Lea flashed her a small grin, basically agreeing with her without muttering a word.

She could stay silent but she couldn't lie.


	45. Sleepovers

Tradition.

That's what Cory constantly tried to stay by.

He believed that Lea deserved as much romance as possible, and if applicable, more romance than intimacy.

Even though that wasn't Cory's preference, he knew that his girl loved being swept off her feet.

When they first started dating, he decided to put in place a Thursday night date rule.

They'd take turns choosing places to go and hang out each week.

This particular week, Lea decided she wanted to go and see Rock of Ages at the cinema.

"Just think how romantic that'd be Cor?" she smiled, her eyes shining, "Remember how I took you to see Rock of Ages in New York? Please can we can and see it together at the movies? I know you liked it!"

The way she was bouncing up and down on his lap and giggling with excitement, seriously got to him. Nothing else mattered in his life if she was happy and smiling her perfect smile.

"Of course we can go! If I'm honest, I do really want to see it too!" he rubbed her back affectionately, feeling her arms tighten around his neck.

"You're the best!"

"No, you are." He said, peeling her off of his chest and dropping a soft kiss on her lips.

She giggled, finally pulling herself away from Cory's lap and grabbing his hand.

"Come on, let's go for a swim."

Since Cory had agreed to give up his date night location preference to Lea, she decided to make dinner for them both.

After grilling Cory some chicken and making herself a Greek salad, they sat at her outdoor dining table, enjoying the view of the sunset while eating their meal.

"What time does the movie start?"

"9 o'clock, we've got an hour yet, don't worry."

Lea was the organized one in the relationship, always making sure everything was planned before time and keeping to a certain schedule. It was something that Cory loved in her, but sometimes loathed. If there was one thing she hated, it was tardiness, and Cory wasn't the most punctual person on the planet.

After finishing the meal and clearing up, Lea grabbed her handbag as Cory jumped into his car and punched the directions to the cinema into his car navigator.

They both set off together, equally excited to see what the movie version would look like since they'd seen the original production on Broadway.

It was little things like this that made Lea so excited.

After watching the movie together, cuddled up in the darkness of the screening room, they both emerged from the cinema ecstatic.

"You know, I didn't expect it to be that good? I thought it was gonna be like Harry Potter… you know the books are better than the movies?"

"Rock of Ages isn't a book, babe." She giggled, jumping back into Cory's car and placing her bag on the floor.

"I know, but you know what I mean, right? Like, the original version of anything is always better than the remake or whatever?"

She shut him up with a kiss, squeezing her lips tightly to his as he was about to start driving away.

It sent shivers down her spine, causing her to feel a little hot at their contact.

She knew she shouldn't have kissed him because now she wanted more.

"I don't wanna go home," she pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"No? Well, where does my lady want to go?

Pulling out of the parking lot, he slowed the car down significantly so that she could tell him where to go.

"Can we go back to yours? Pleeeeeease? We never go to yours!"

"Yeah, there's reasons for that."

"Don't get huffy! I said you could move in with me if you wanted?"

"Okay, okay!" he said, accepting defeat, "We'll go back to mine, but don't expect any privacy, because we won't be getting it."

She placed a victorious kiss on his cheek before he exhaled in annoyance, swerving the car around and changing his original direction.

Sure enough, both of Cory's room mates were in the house when they arrived.

Lea didn't mind hanging out with his buddies. She did quite like them. They weren't rude or disrespectful and were all decent guys.

"I told you." He grunted, unlocking the door with his key.

They stepped into the living room and saw the two men lounging on the couches watching Hockey.

"Hey guys!" Cory said, "I hope you don't mind that I brought Lea?"

Of course they didn't mind. They supported Cory and Lea's relationship 100%. After meeting Lea for the first time, they could both tell that Cory was hooked on her and was one day going to have to take the plunge and ask her out. They were just relieved that they didn't have to hear about his inner conflicts about wanting to date her anymore.

"That's totally fine dude! What's up Lea?"

She smiled at the scruffy but stylish man, her eyes lighting up at their approval.

"Nothing much, we just went out and caught a movie."

"What did you guys see?" the other man chipped in, tearing his eyes away from the movie screen.

"Rock of Ages. It was pretty solid actually." Cory said, taking Lea's coat from her and hanging it up on the coat stand.

Lea looked longingly at the biggest couch in the lounge. It was free and it was the perfect size for the both of them to fit on.

As if he had read her mind, he took her hand and pulled her down onto the sofa, automatically spooning her into his body and wrapping his strong arms around her.

She nuzzled her neck into his chin appreciatively, loving how close they were. Feeling every part of him underneath her made her feel whole. It was as if she knew the real him and no one else. She was the only person who got to feel that feeling.

Cory's roommates shared grins with each other, wanting to tease Cory for being so cuddley and cute with her at age 30, but they decided it was probably not the best idea.

"So are you staying over, Lea?"

The man flashed a wink at Cory to which he rolled his eyes and hoped Lea had not seen his immature gesture.

"Ummm… I don't know? I haven't been invited so I guess not!" She said, poking her finger into Cory's ribs.

"Cory, dude, what's wrong with you? She's your girlfriend."

"Fine. Lea do you want to stay over? You don't have to, I know…"

"Of course I want to, silly. I've only stayed over here like 3 times in the 8 months we've been together. I've got to seize every opportunity I get!"

She'd officially humiliated him in front of his roommates. He could tell she really didn't care though. All she wanted was to be with him for as long as possible, no matter where they were.

"Come on then," she said, extending her hand and pulling him up from the couch, "Let's go to bed."

He didn't argue with her. She never went to bed early, so he knew that could only mean she wanted one thing and one thing only.

"Don't be too loud! You'll wake the neighbors!"

Cory whipped his head back to the two men and ungracefully suck his finger up at them, to which they fell about themselves laughing as Cory continued up the stairs.

Like he cared.


	46. Sleepovers Part 2

Waking up in his arms always gave her the same feeling.

No matter how many times she had woken up this way, it still made her heart skip a beat.

Of course when she finally opened her eyes, she saw him staring right back at her. His soft eyes admiring her beautiful face.

"Good morning." He whispered, stroking her face and kissing her forehead.

"Morning." She purred.

He laughed softly as she brushed her nose against his, giving him a butterfly kiss.

"How do you feel?"

"How do you think I feel? My whole body aches!"

"Aw sorry babe." He apologized sarcastically, totally not sorry for working her so hard the night before.

"Yeah, sure."

He flashed her a grin before attacking her underarms, tickling her until she was on the brink of screaming.

"Cory! Stop! I just told you how much my muscles hurt you asshole!"

She sulked at him when he finally drew his hands away from her body.

"I'm sorry." He said genuinely, pecking her lips, "Can I make it up to you by cooking breakfast?"

"Sure."

Her eyes shined at his romantic suggestion. She'd always dreamed of one of her boyfriend's making her breakfast in bed off a whim.

"Shit. I forgot. We don't have anything that you could possibly eat… Would you mind waiting 10 minutes while I pop to the store?"

She shook her head, smiling into his eyes as he placed another kiss on her forehead and quickly threw on some clothes.

"I'll be back soon. Promise me you won't do a runner?"

"I promise."

Closing the door behind him, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself for playing so cool. He felt so manly and full of pride.

Lea rested her head against the headboard of the bed, looking around Cory's room.

It was surprisingly clean. She'd stayed over in his room a few times before, but she'd never seen it properly in broad daylight. It made her feel kind of said that she wasn't as regular in his house as he was in hers. She knew that it was just because Lea owned her own property and Cory was sick of his roommates and his lack of privacy, but it still made her feel a little upset. He of all people knew that a relationship was a two person thing. They had to equal each other out.

After enjoying the silence for a few minutes, Lea heard voices from downstairs. She knew it was Cory's roommates, but she was intuiged and wanted to get to know them better.

Kicking on her slippers and throwing one of Cory's shirts over her shoulders, which completely covered her body and stopped at her knee, she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen where the two men were talking and jamming out to the radio.

"Hey!"

"Hey Lea! How're you?"

"I'm good thanks, how're you?"

There was something about talking to his friends that made her feel so much more connected to Cory.

"I'm good. Where's Cory?"

"Oh," she said, rolling her eyes slightly, "He just ran to the store to get some food to make breakfast with."

"Oh well we have stuff here?" Justin said, gesturing to the bacon that he was currently frying.

"Oh no… I'm sorry, I'm a Vegan."

She felt bad. It did make her feel awfully picky when people offered her food and she had to decline.

"Oh yeah, of course! Sorry, Cory did tell me."

Raising an eyebrow, she took a step closer to the men.

"He told you now, did he?"

"Yeah, he never shuts up about you. It's pretty annoying actually. I probably know you just as well as he does."

Her whole face flushed a crimson red colour. The fact that he had been telling his best friends about her took her completely by surprise. He'd always been so protective and quiet about their relationship. He rarely told anyone anything about them. Clearly not anymore, though.

"Good things, I hope?" she asked sheepishly, her stomach sinking a little at the thought of him maybe putting on a façade in front of her.

"Are you kidding? Of course they're all good things! Holy crap, I've never seen someone so enthusiastic about a relationship before in their lives…"

She felt her heart rate pick up again as relief washed over her body.

"He's cute."

"Well, he didn't sound too cute with you last night! Things sounded pretty intense."

Of course her reddened cheeks didn't stay away for long.

"Oh god, sorry!"

"Don't even worry about it, Lea. To be honest, I'm kind of glad to know that he's loving you properly. I was getting concerned since he never brought you here."

She shrugged her shoulders. She didn't really want to mention the fact that it was because they were in the house and Cory needed some space.

"Still, that's so embarrassing on my part. Sorry!"

There was a brief moment of silence as the two boys turned back to the spitting bacon in the frying pan and emptied the rashers onto a clean plate.

She watched as they both sat down at the communal dining table and tucked into their breakfast.

"I know this is not my place to ask, but you guys are doing well, yes?"

"Yeah, really well. I've never been happier… I hope he's happy too!"

"Trust me honey, he's happy. He's like a lovesick teenager, I swear."

She smiled as she felt a pair of lips suck softly at her neck.

"Holy shit!" she screeched, almost jumping out of her skin, "Cory, don't sneak up on me like that!"

He grinned as he placed three shopping bags on the table next to his friends.

"I'm sorry baby, I just wanted to surprise you."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body flush against his and swayed side to side with her in his arms, resting his head on top of her own.

"What are you a ninja or something?" Justin said through a mouthful of bacon, "We didn't even hear you come in."

"I can be a sneaky bitch when I want to be," he taunted his friend, clearly not being serious.

Lea's heart was still beating crazily from everything that the guys had told her.

She turned in his arms and balanced up on her tip toes to kiss him.

Although he was surprised by her kiss, it didn't take him long to reciprocate it. He jammed his tongue through her lip opening and worked his magic in her mouth. He couldn't help but let out a small moan into her mouth as her tongue paralleled his actions.

"Are you guys seriously making out in the kitchen? Wow. I thought you were classier than that, Cory."

They completely ignored Justin's comment as they continued to kiss.

"Forget breakfast." Lea grunted, pulling back for air, "Let's go upstairs."

He certainly didn't need to be told twice.


	47. Choose Me

"Can I come over? I'm sad."

"Why are you sad, babe?"

"Because you'd rather watch stupid Hockey than snuggle with me and watch movies."

He rolled his eyes. She obviously wasn't mad by the sound of her tone, but she was using her needy voice. The voice that always made him feel guilty.

"Babe… it's an important game, I'm sorry. You know I love you but can't I just be a man for one night and watch the biggest Hockey game of the season?"

She knew he was right. She was being controlling, something that she had feared being for years. All she wanted was to spend time with him, but she was going about it in the wrong way.

"Okay, I'm sorry." She said sweetly into the phone, "Enjoy your Hockey game!"

Smiling, he appreciated her sudden attitude adjustment. Maybe she really did understand his situation.

"Thanks babe, you're the best. I love you!"

"I love you too!" she replied with a smile, hanging up the phone.

An idea hatched in her mind as soon as she placed the phone down on her coffee table.

It was raining outside, but she really didn't care.

Words couldn't explain how much she hated the bad weather, but she was willing to brave it for him.

Quickly running into the nearest store from her car, she grabbed a shopping cart and starting filling it with all of Cory's favourite things.

She bought doughnuts, salted peanuts, 2 bags of chips, a watermelon, a bag of popcorn and a platter of mixed vegetables.

After running back to her car, she noticed the speed of her pace hadn't helped at all.

She was drenched from head to toe and ruined her favourite blue sneaker pumps.

Still not caring, she jumped back into the car after loading the shopping bags into the trunk.

Several minutes later she arrived at Cory's and knocked on the door, the rain still pouring down on top of her.

He answered within seconds, his eyes widening at the sight in front of him.

"Lea? What the heck are you doing?"

"I brought you some treats!" she smiled, lifting up her arms and showing her the two shopping bags that were secured by her slippery fingers.

"Don't just stand there, come in! You'll get sick!"

He pulled her into the door way and took the bags from her hands, placing them on the ground as she closed the door behind them.

Before she knew it, he wrapped himself around her, holding her tightly and rubbing her arms up and down.

"What are you doing you crazy girl? You're freezing!"

Her teeth chattered together as she shook from the cold, he did have a point.

"I-I felt bad for being so controlling so I thought I'd go out and buy you and the guys some treats for your game, you know, to say sorry!"

He fell into her eyes, feeling so much love for her. She was always looking for ways to make him feel good.

"You're so sweet," he cooed, kissing her lips softly.

"Wh-Where are the guys?" she chattered, looking around the room for his roommates.

"Oh, they're out with their girls watching the game. Didn't want to hang around with me!"

"Shit. I bought too much food for just you." She said, her eyebrows dipping into a frown.

Without saying a word, he dashed up the stairs leaving her standing in the hallway dripping wet and completely confused.

He returned seconds later with two towels and a blanket in his hand.

He wrapped the towel around her shaking body and pulled her close to him once more.

"You stay with me. You're not going back out into that."

"But- No Cory. You wanted to spend this night alone, I understand that."

"Shush," he silenced her, brushing her lips with his hand, "I want to watch it with you, okay? I was wrong to say I didn't want to spend time with you tonight. I'm sorry."

She smiled, her glance lighting up his eyes and warming his heart.

"Okay, but if you get sick of me, feel free to kick me out!" she laughed, wrapping the towel tighter around her body.

"I could never get sick of you, silly. How about we get those close off?"

He gave her a teasing smile, inching toward her drenched body.

She let him take her jacket it off and place it over one of the couches.

Slowly, she nodded her head, giving him permission to lift her vest top up over her head so that she was left only in her bra and leggings.

She kicked off her leggings and threw them into her bag, not really caring if she ever wore them again.

Just looking at her almost naked body gave him goosebumps.

Hesitantly, he wrapped the blanket around her shivering body and scooped her up into his arms.

He sat her between his legs on the couch as she rested her head of wet hair on his chest.

Although Cory couldn't ignore the fact that he was pretty turned on by the girl pressed up against him, he rebelled against his feelings and focused on the Hockey game that was playing out in front of him.

She watched the game with him contently before she remembered about the food she had bought.

"Oh Cor! I forgot to show you what I bought!"

She jumped up from his lap, the blanket falling off of her body in the process.

She returned to his lap with the bags in her hand as she placed all the contents of it onto the floor in from of them.

He was seriously going to lose his cool if she kept bending over in her underwear.

He could feel his pants getting tighter by the second.

"I bought you some Watermelon because I know how much you love it, and I know it's not in season or anything, but I figured that if they're selling it, it must still taste pretty good."

Smiling into his eyes, he couldn't help but lean over and kiss her senseless, stealing the oxygen away from her body.

She pulled back in surprise at his sudden action, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"W-What? I thought you wanted to watch the game."

"I don't anymore," he grunted, lying her down on the sofa and crawling on top of her.

He peppered hot open mouth kisses all over her stomach, shuddering when he felt the goose bumps on her skin under his tongue.

It was safe to say he honestly didn't care about the Hockey anymore.

From then on in, he would always pick her over Hockey.


	48. In You, I Trust

Nothing made him feel sicker than seeing such outrageous things being written about him.

He never wanted to be a celebrity. All he wanted to do was live his dream and be an actor.

Obviously he couldn't do that anymore without getting attention for all directions.

But all of his worries didn't matter when he thought of the effect it could have on someone else. Someone way more important to him than himself.

He hoped that if she'd already seen the article, she knew it wasn't true.

There was only one way to find out.

Reaching for his phone, he dialled her number faster than humanly possible.

After waiting a couple of seconds, she picked up the phone.

"Babe, I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry about what?"

"Have you not read it yet?"

She'd only just woken up and she was still groggy from her deep sleep. He wasn't making any sense to her.

"Read what?"

It was a relief to know she hadn't seen it yet. He didn't want her to be mad or upset with him in any way shape or form.

"Go and have a shower, okay Lee? I'll be over in 10 minutes. I'll see you once your done."

He hung up and grabbed his car keys before she had a chance to answer.

Still completely confused, she decided to take his advice and jump in the shower.

He unlocked her front door and bounded into the house 7 minutes later.

Setting his keys down on the coffee table, he couldn't help but grin when he heard her singing sweetly to herself in the shower. She was honestly one of the most talented girls he had ever met. It made him feel even luckier to be with her, if that was possible.

Finally hearing the bathroom door unlock, he rose to his feet and took a deep breath in.

He knew that the conversation they were both about to have could go one of two ways.

She could A) Completely understand him and not care about it at all, or B) Not believe him and lose all her trust within him.

"Hey!" she giggled when she emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her tanned body and her hair tied up in a turban.

She ran over to him and placed a big wet kiss on his lips, running her fingers along the line of his abs.

"You look beautiful."

"Oh stop!" she said, slapping him lightly on the arm, "You know I look awful in the mornings."

That was a statement he definitely did not agree with.

"Whatever. Anyway, I came here because I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Mhmmm?"

He followed her as she made her way to the kitchen and opened the fridge, pouring two glasses of orange juice and thrusting one into her hand.

"Okay, well…" he exhaled, not knowing where to start, "So you know a few weeks ago when you went to Cabo with the girls and I went skiing with the guys?"

"Yep!"

"Well, some asshole has made up this story about me and published it on the internet. It's pretty bad and I didn't want you to hear about it via someone else."

He winced when he saw her eyebrows dip into a concerned frown.

"But wait, what's it about?"

His chest tightened as he tried to conjure up the courage to tell her straight off.

"About me and someone else. This asshole made up a story about me supposedly cheating on you and making out with some other girl at the club we went to on the resort."

He looked into her eyes. He shouldn't have been surprised when he saw the mist over with tears.

"B-But it's not true, right?" she said shakily, placing her glass down on the kitchen countertop.

"Oh god no! No it's totally not true! I would never, ever do that to you!"

"I know and you know how much I trust you, Cory."

He wasn't sure why a tear fell from her eye, but it did.

"Aw Lee, please don't cry! I'm sorry this happened."

He pulled her into his chest and caressed her face with his fingers, trying to comfort her.

"No, I'm sorry. I know you'd never do that to me, it's just I'm so sick and tired of people trying to make you look bad. You're such a nice guy, Cory. It kills me to see this sort of thing happen to you. You don't deserve it."

He couldn't stop his heart from swelling at her concern.

"I don't care about that. I don't care about what people think about me. I truly only care about what you think about me…. And I need you to trust me when I say I did not cheat on you."

She flashed him a small smile, clasping her hands with his.

"I totally trust you, Cor. God, I hope you know that I'd never get mad at you for something like this. I know what it's like. The amount of fake rumors that people spread about me…"

He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly. It hurt him to see how much it hurt her.

"Don't listen to them. They're the ones who don't know anything about you. I know you better than anyone else out there, you're not anything like they describe you. You're amazing, Lea."

It was really getting ridiculous how often he was complementing her and making her feel good. But she didn't not appreciate his complements, his words meant more to her than anyone else's in the world.

"You're too kind to me you big soft lump."

Now that she mentioned it, he finally realized that he had turned all mushy and emotional since getting together with her. She brought out things in him that he never knew he had. He'd never been as sentimental with a girl before in his entire life.

"Well, you've only got yourself to blame for softening me up."

He rubbed his hands around her hips and pulled her into a kiss, his heart beating twice as fast as normal.

He only really felt truly happy when he was with her and when she let him love her.

"See. How could I ever cheat on you, beautiful?"

She blushed as he threw his lips back on to hers and kissed her again, just to make sure she understood him.

If she didn't believe him before, she definitely believed him now.


	49. Blow the Candles Out

"Cory."

"Yeah hun?"

"It's twelve o'clock in the morning."

He smiled down at his beautiful girl with a gleam in his eyes. The lights on set made everything seem brighter.

"Yeah?"

"Happy Birthday baby!" she pulled him down to her level and smushed her lips to his, deepening the kiss and truly not caring about the 50 crew members than surrounded them on set.

She knew he was getting excited when his arms moved from her face down to her backside.

"Thank you honey."

His eyes snapped away from her glance when he heard one of the crew members wolf whistle.

They just laughed nervously and made their way back to their marks to continue shooting.

"As soon as we're done here, I'll take you for ice cream, okay?"

It was yet another late night on the Glee set. This was the last scene of Season 3 that needed to be shot and the end was in sight for many of the crew members and actors on set.

"You don't need to do that, Lee…"

"Cory, you're 30 now. We need to celebrate!"

Cory was silenced by the director who called out them to standby for the camera.

Less than half an hour later, Cory and Lea walked off set hand in hand and hopped into Cory's car.

"I'm driving."

"Don't be silly…"

"I'm not being silly. I'm just driving." She insisted, pushing her way from his grip and into the driver's seat.

"But you hate driving my car?"

"Well how else can I be sure that you get some celebratory ice cream?"

She pecked his lips before he finally gave in to her crazy idea and hopped into the passenger seat.

"You're crazy."

"And you're thirty."

"Ouch…" he groaned, pretending like her comment had hurt his feelings.

"I think it's sexy that you're thirty. It sounds better than saying 20-something." She glanced over to him quickly before fixing her eyes back on the road.

"Damn. I should've turned thirty sooner…"

He knew he was being an asshole for kissing her neck and distracting her while she was driving, but he couldn't help himself.

"Cory, do you want me to crash this car?"

"No."

"Then behave yourself!"

"But I can't help it, you're so sexy…"

He sucked harder at her skin, tangling his fingers in her hair.

She stopped the car and pulled his lips away from her bruised neck.

"You need to stop, mister."

He pouted at her, his big eyes widening at her.

There was no way she could've ever stayed mad at that face, especially on his birthday.

Come on, lets get some ice-cream."

She gave him a quick kiss before jumping out of the car and dashing into Dairy Queen, Cory following behind her.

He couldn't help but gush at how adorable she was for wanting to celebrate in the early hours of his birthday.

"Go and take a seat in one of those diner stalls, I'll order for you."

Not feeling like protesting, he did as he was told and took a seat.

There was no one else in the store, which made him wonder why Dairy Queen was open so late. He was sure that it wasn't a 24 hour eatery.

All of a sudden, he heard Lea's voice belt out the lyrics to Happy Birthday as the store lights dimmed.

He saw her face illuminated by 30 candles that were pressed into an ice cream cake as she carried it over to the table where he was sat.

She placed the cake down in front of him as she continued to sing her own version of the traditional birthday song.

He admired the cake. It was the most beautiful piece of artwork that he'd ever seen in his life.

The cake was shaped into a Canadian maple leaf, coloured red and white with actual edible images of himself and Lea iced onto the cake.

He honestly felt as though his heart could explode at any minute.

As soon as she finished singing, he rose to his feet and dipped her down into a long, slow kiss.

"Happy Birthday. I hope you like it." She gasped as he placed her back on her feet.

"I love you so much Lea Michele."

"I love you too."

"No, really. No one has ever done anything like this for me before."

That made her feel even better about the whole thing. He deserved all the love in the world, especially on his thirtieth birthday.

"You like?"

"I freaking love it babe! Thank you so so much!"

He hugged her tightly, making sure she knew how much he appreciated it.

"Can I eat it now?"

"Please do before it melts!"

She took a seat next to him as he dug his spoon into the large cake.

"This is seriously the best birthday cake I have ever had. It tastes so good."

She smiled as he took big bites of the cake, licking his lips every time he swallowed.

"I'm so glad. I know how much you love ice cream, so I thought it was perfect for you."

"Oh my god, do I love ice cream?"

She watched him take more bites before he turned to her, swallowing all the ice cream between his teeth.

"How did you even manage to do this? I'm pretty sure Dairy Queen doesn't serve people at 1am?"

Grinning, she raised her eyebrows at him.

"Let's just say I pulled a few strings. My friend's brother is the manager of this store and I really wanted to do something special for you." She admitted, her eyes suddenly darting to the ground, "I-I'm sorry I know it's not much. It's not a fancy restaurant or some swanky club, but I wanted us to share this moment without people swarming us and getting involved in our personal time together."

He placed his finger under her chin and brought her head up to match his.

"This is amazing. You're amazing, okay? We don't need to celebrate in some posh restaurant where everyone can see us. This is more special than I could have ever wished for."

"Okay…" she said softly, seeing his face begin to dip down into hers and capture her lips once again.

She could taste the sugar in his mouth, which made her suck harder on his lips than before.

"Can I finish my ice cream?" he said after finishing their kiss, "I don't want it to melt."

"Of course you can, babe."

Just as she was about to take a picture of him with his cake, she felt him place some of the ice cream on to her nose.

"Cory! That's freezing!"

"Oh sorry baby, do you want me to get it off for you?"

"Yes!" She squealed, feeling him pull her on to his lap.

Before she knew it he was licking the ice cream off of her nose, humming contently when he licked it all clean.

"Don't you ever do that again! That was gross!" she shuddered, wiping her nose and making sure all the ice cream was gone.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

She quickly jumped off his lap and ran to the back of the store.

Seconds later, he heard slow, soft music beating through the entire store.

"Dance with me, Cor."

He gladly took her hand as he pulled her close to her and swayed to the music.

"This is already the best birthday ever."


	50. That's Showbiz

The day had finally come.

For the past week, he and Lea had been up past midnight rehearsing his lines, perfecting his blocking and breaking down the script.

His agent had called him a week earlier presenting a project to him that he literally fell in love with the moment he'd heard the details.

It was a full length feature film, documenting the life of a boy struggling through his teen hood.

Cory felt such a connection to the script. It was something that he held extremely close to his heart, considering his past.

He even felt more excited about this audition than he had about his Glee audition. He knew it was awful to feel like that, but it was true. It's not as if he expected to get the part of Finn, it was literally the shock of his life when Ryan called him 20 minutes after his audition.

Rarely did Cory Monteith get nervous, but today, he felt as though he could throw up at every move he made.

"Morning babe," Lea said sleepily, turning in his arms and stroking his pale face.

"Morning."

He placed his normal morning kiss on her lips, his eyebrows burrowing into a frown soon after.

"What's up?"

"Oh I dunno," he exhaled, sounding frustrated, "Something just doesn't feel right, you know?"

She shuffled closer to him in the bed, locking her arms around his waist as he grunted into her neck.

"Listen to me. You are amazing and you're going to be brilliant at the audition today, alright? You've worked so hard on this piece and it's flawless. You're gonna blow them all away!"

Feeling a little more relaxed at her words, he breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, she had been in the business since she was 8 years old. She would tell him whether he was good or not, she'd never lie to him.

"Thank you."

He brought her face to his and kissed her sweetly, throwing his gratitude into the kiss.

"No go and have a shower! Auditors like their auditionees squeaky clean!"

She smacked his bum as he scooted past her to the shower.

An hour later, Lea kissed her boyfriend goodbye as he made his way out to the audition in better spirits than before. She hoped that he'd go in to the audition with a positive attitude.

Before leaving for a day of work with her manager and publicist, she sent him a quick text telling him how proud she was of everything he'd achieved.

She knew that it would mean a lot to him and hopefully boost his confidence.

Lea was worried to say the least when Cory didn't answer her texts or phone calls all day.

She knew that he would be back at her place by 12pm, and even then he didn't pick up the house phone.

She concluded that he must've gone back to his place and left his phone at hers, or something to that effect.

It was 9pm when she finally got out of all the meetings with her team. They'd spent the day reviewing all the companies and people that had contacted her about being their spokeswoman. She clearly couldn't accept them all, so spending time going through each charity or company benefitted her decision significantly.

Unlocking her front door, she was shocked when all the lights were out on the other side.

Cory was always in her house. He was either cooking dinner, cleaning up or watch TV.

He was doing neither of the three.

"Cory?!" she yelled throughout the house, beginning to panic.

She ran to the lounge, checking the couches and chairs at the dinner table.

He wasn't in the kitchen, lounge or bedroom.

Suddenly, she saw a flicker of light come from her back garden.

Opening the French doors, she saw Cory sitting by the pool, his head tucked into his knees.

"Cory!"

She felt tears prick her eyes, she'd never been so worried about him before in her life.

"Cory, oh my god. Thank god you're here."

She knelt down beside him and wrapped her arms around his body, nuzzling her head under his arm.

He picked his face up to look at her.

His whole face was red. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

"Cory, what the hell happened? Are you okay?"

She moved herself closer to him as he breathed heavily, emotion wracking through his body.

"I didn't get it."

He dipped his head down in embarrassment.

"I didn't fucking get it. They gave it to some kid who has never even acted before."

"Oh Cor, I'm so so-"

"No, don't apologize. I should be the one saying sorry." He caught her eyes, hers also beginning to water, "I'm sorry that your boyfriend is such a loser. I'm sorry that you have to live with this failure. I'm just sorry."

She honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing. Not only was he saying all these bad things about himself, but he began to cry.

He'd never cried in front of her ever before.

This time, she was the one to pull him close to her. He always comforted her when she was sad and crying, why should it have been any different with the roles reversed.

"It's okay, Cor." She soothed, running her fingers through his hair, her own eyes releasing a few tears at how upset he was.

"No, Lea. This is totally uncool. I'm so sorry." He sat up and wiped his eyes, turning to face her.

"You need to listen to me, you are not a loser. You are not a failure. I can't believe you're calling yourself these things!"

"Well it sounds pretty accurate to me, Lea. They gave the part to an 18 year old kid who told me himself that he has no training or experience. How's that supposed to make me feel? Good?"

She sighed. There was so much that he was failing to see.

"Okay. So when I was 20, West Side Story was being revived on Broadway. I wanted the role of Maria more than anything else in the world. Even though I had Spring Awakening always going on in some shape or form, I still wanted Maria. I would've given up the Spring Awakening workshop in a heartbeat if I got the chance to play Maria. I know that sounds awful, but that was the truth."

She felt his arm wrap around her shoulder as she spoke to him calmly.

"So I went to the audition and I sang 'All I Ask of You' from Phantom of the Opera. I thought I did a really good job. You know, my parents told me it was good, my vocal teacher told me it was good and literally all my friends gave me positive feedback on my rendition of the song. So I waited a week to see if I got a callback, and I did. So I prepared another song. It was 'Someone Like You' from Jekyll and Hyde, and I thought that went very well too! When I was in my callback acting audition, the director told me that I was simply not talented enough for the role, not to mention that I wasn't beautiful, therefore I couldn't play Maria. Can you imagine how I felt? I was so heartbroken. I must've cried for about a week afterwards. It was terrible."

His body shuddered at the thought of some asshole telling her that she wasn't beautiful enough. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in the world.

"My point is, Cory… we can't always get everything we want. I know you already know that, and hell, I learnt that the hard way. But the way I look at it, if I hadn't been rejected from West Side Story, I wouldn't have been able to do Spring Awakening. Look where it got me! Ryan came to see the show and literally begged me to go to LA to audition for Glee. Had I not been rejected from West Side, I wouldn't have met my best friend, I wouldn't have been spotted by Ryan and I wouldn't have met you. It's like the old saying, Cor. When one door closes, another one opens."

His heart was overflowing with love for her. He'd never been so inspired before in his life.

"Just because they gave the part to an inexperienced, young kid doesn't mean they didn't think you were talented. You never know what the auditors are looking for. Like, I totally couldn't play Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray because I look nothing like the character. It's not personal; it's just the horrible truth of showbiz. Unfortunately, appearance does matter when it comes to casting. Maybe they were looking for a much younger looking actor today, Cory. You're thirty now, you can't stay in High School forever."

"I love you so much." He said, hugging her tightly and kissing her nose.

"I'm so sorry that I freaked out like that… I just- I wanted it so bad, you know?"

"I know babe," she said softly, squeezing his hand, "But something good will come your way soon. Just don't give up. Please never give up. Your talent is too valuable to waste, I'd hate to see you break down from this. You truly are amazing, Cory. I'm telling you this as a fellow actor, not as your girlfriend."

"You think I'll give up? No way. I've come too far to throw it all away."

"That's it! You need to realize how amazing you are."

"You're the amazing one, baby."

He laid her down on the grass and crawled on top of her body, placing kisses all over her chest and collarbone.

She connected her mouth to his, never wanting it to leave.

"If at first you don't succeed… try, try again."


	51. It's Just Acting

"Get Ryan on the phone, Lea." He shouted, throwing the script on to the ground, "I'm not having this bullshit!"

"Cory, you need to calm down…"

"No! I'm not happy with this! This is not okay!"

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, his blood pressure noticeably rising.

"I don't think there's anything Ryan can do about it, Cory. I think if you called him it would just make things worse…"

"I seriously don't care. He can yell at me all he wants… I'm not okay with this whatsoever."

She sat down on the sofa next to him and pulled her arms around his waist.

"Okay, listen… It's what's best for the show."

"It's not what is best for the show at all, Lea! How do you think people are gonna feel about Rachel having a new boyfriend, after everything that they've been through together? It's not right and it's not realistic!"

She could see him grown angrier and angrier by the second.

Ryan had handed Lea the script only a few hours ago, telling her to read it with Cory.

Even she was surprised to say the least when she read the script and discovered that the writers had written in a new boyfriend for Rachel.

She was shocked at how badly Cory was taking it. She knew he loved working with her and filming Finn and Rachel scenes, but he of all people knew that whatever the writers did was best for their show.

"Kicking up a fuss isn't going to make a difference, Cory. You're not the one who has to film these scenes!"

She was getting a little angry now. He was behaving like a child and she didn't like his immature attitude.

"I know but Lea! We've worked so hard on Finn and Rachel, the last thing that they would do is go off with someone else. They were fucking engaged for god's sake!"

"Cory, can you stop?! I don't appreciate what you're saying!"

"Why? Because you're excited to film these cute scenes with your new on-screen boyfriend?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're obviously not upset about this… what else am I supposed to think?"

It made sense to her now.

He wasn't as much devastated over the fact that Finn and Rachel were being kept apart, but more at the fact that he wouldn't be working with her anymore.

"I am upset about this. Rachel is me. She's a part of me and she's what led me to you. Of course this hurts me Cory, but we're professionals. We have to do what we have to do. It's not our job to decide what goes on with our characters. We're just gonna have to sit back and take everything as it comes. It's not our place to interfere."

He hung his head, feeling ashamed at his outburst.

He couldn't help but feel overprotective of his working relationship with Lea.

"I-I'm sorry," he said softly, still not lifting his head, "I just-I don't want to lose you."

All she wanted to do was show him how much she loved him and how much she cherished their relationship.

That is what his tantrum had been about all along. He was scared she'd build a better relationship than theirs with her new co-star.

"You are absolutely crazy." She brought his head to her level, staring deep into his eyes, "You will never, ever lose me. I can't believe you even thought that. Is that what this is really all about?"

He nodded his head shamefully, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I love you so much. I just don't want some other dude becoming a third party. It's not that I don't trust you, babe… it's just, we fell in love through playing Finn and Rachel… what if you decide you love this other guy too? It happened once, who says that it can't happen again?"

She was surprised when his words didn't hurt her. He was basically expressing his insecurities to her about her faithfulness.

"Oh Cory."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight before she gave him the little speech that she had been carefully planning out in her head.

"I fell in love with you because you're you. You are the one who plays Finn. You are the one who I love. Had anyone else played Finn, like Mark or Chord or Harry, I definitely wouldn't be dating them right now. We're together because I love you and you're the one I want to be with, the one I want to spend my time with. It has absolutely nothing to do with our characters."

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course. I'd be with you even if you played Mr Schuester or Artie or someone else. That's how sure I am of us."

"I'm sorry, babe…"

"No. Don't apologize," she interrupted him, "It's sweet to see how jealous you got. You just need to know that I only have eyes for you. That's why I'm not too upset about Finn and Rachel being kept apart for longer. We know that they're meant to be together, and they will be when everything is said and done. But until then, I have us and what we share. That's all that matters to me."

She saw his lips looming down to hers, his tongue puncturing through her soft lips and into her mouth. He shuddered when he heard her moan into the kiss and wrap her arms tighter around his neck.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too. Please, never ever forget that."

And he was sure that she loved him. He just needed to know that what was happening between them was 100% real. That they weren't together just because they felt some of the things their characters felt.

Although he was still seriously unhappy with the new script, he saw it as another step in the relationship. Them learning how to deal with new situations at work.

He knew that he would eventually have onscreen relations with another actor that wasn't Lea one day, but he was glad it wasn't now. He was very much in love with Lea and only wanted to share his love with her.


	52. You Can Kiss Me If You Want To

Knowing that the best thing to do was to call her mum, she picked up her phone and tapped the number into the keypad frantically.

"Mum, it's me!"

"Hi sweetie! How's Los Angeles treating you?"

"It's great mum, but I need to talk to you… I have some serious boy problems."

Edith raised her eyebrows from the other side of the line.

Lea had always had the most amazing relationship with her mother. From a young age, she would tell her literally everything about her life, including her relationships with guys.

"Oh, okay… I'm listening."

Lea took a deep breath in, ready to explain everything to her mother.

"Right, so you know how I told you about that guy, Cory Monteith? You know, the really good looking tall one who plays Finn?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I think I kind of like him…"

Edith was definitely not surprised. The way Lea had described him to her had sparked her suspicions on whether she liked him or not. She'd never stopped gushing about him since filming the Pilot.

"Oh, well… I have you talked to him about it?"

"How can I, mum?! I've only known him for a few weeks! We're not even that close and I just don't know, I always feel really weird and giddy when I'm around him. I can't do this!"

"Do what, sweetie?"

She remembered what she had originally meant to tell her mother.

"Oh of course, sorry. See… I just got the script for the second episode, and half way through there's a scene between Finn and Rachel…"

"Uh-huh?"

"And they kiss, mum! I'm gonna have to kiss him! What if I lose it? What if he realises that I like him? If I do like him that is…"

"Honey, but the way you're freaking out… I think you do like him."

"I know!" she collapsed on her bed, holding her head with her spare hand, "I'm a professional. Professionals do not fall in love with their co-stars, especially ones they've only known for a few months!"

"Darling, don't get all worked up, it's okay."

"It's hard to not worry about this, mum! I'm not going to lose my professional status because of my stupid emotions!"

Her daughter had always been so dramatic. Although she should have been sympathizing Lea, she couldn't help but giggle at her frustrations.

"Lea, just go into work and do the scene. Don't think anything about it. Whatever happens, happens. That's the whole point of being an artist. Some things you just can't stop from happening."

"You're really not helping."

"Well I'm trying, sweetheart. Just go in and do your best, as always. Deal with everything else later, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks mum." She grunted, clearly annoyed by her mother's 'advice.'

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow after you've finished filming! Love you!"

"Thanks for nothing!" she laughed, hanging up the phone and placing it down on her bed.

She had no idea how she was going to be able to film this scene.

6:30 was her call time.

She'd hardly slept since she was up half the night, worrying about everything.

Sure she wasn't in love with Cory, she just simply liked him. She didn't know him well enough to have a full-blown crush on him, but there was just something there.

There was something there that she'd never felt before and it freaked her out.

Her professionalism meant so much to her. And that was something that she was not willing to sacrifice. That was what truly worried her.

Arriving at her trailer, she slumped down at her vanity, still trying to get used to her surroundings.

Having a trailer was much different than having a dressing room.

It was a lot more cramped and a lot more industrial.

The dressing room that she'd had at the Eugene O'Neil was old and historic.

This trailer still smelt like a new car.

Hearing a knock on her door, she jumped out of her skin when she opened it to find Cory standing behind it.

"Hey!"

"Um… Hi!"

She quickly ran her fingers through her hair, trying to make herself look more presentable for the man.

"I got you a coffee!"

Even that made her heart flutter a little. He was making it extremely hard for her to ignore her feelings.

"Oh thanks, you didn't need to do that!"

"I know, but I was at Starbucks anyway, so I thought it'd be practical if I got you one too."

"Oh, do you want me to pay you?"

She nervously felt for her purse, digging her hands through her handbag.

Feeling his hand on hers, she shuddered discretely, trying not to show him how much he was freaking her out.

"Don't be silly! It's on me."

He sat down on her sofa and laid his legs across the material.

"Um… so are you ready for today then?"

"Oh yeah, totally! It's gonna be a good day!"

She was surprised at his enthusiasm. She'd assumed that he was the type of guy who did romantic scenes all the time.

"Yeah, it's a good scene, eh?"

"Yeah…" he quickly rose to his feet and took another sip of his coffee, "Well, we better get to set. Filming starts in 10. See you there?"

"Sure."

She nodded as he exited the trailer, closing the door behind him.

Now she really didn't know how she was going to get through this scene.

"Okay Lea, now I need you to go from your next line, okay?!"

This was it. She'd never been as nervous in her entire life. Knowing that the kiss was coming just made her uncomfortable throughout the entire scene.

"Sure!"

She moved to her mark and waited for action to be called. As soon as she heard her cue, her heart almost exploded in her chest.

"You-You can kiss me if you want to."

Cory was about to say his line when the director stopped filming and called cut.

"Lea, are you okay? It didn't seem like you were totally with us then…"

"Yeah! I'm fine, sorry!" she said, faking a smile, "My mind just completely blanked and I forgot my line!"

She was lying of course. She'd rehearsed the scene to perfection.

"Okay, let's go back!" the director called, sending them back to their marks.

"Action!"

"You can kiss me if you want to."

Cory's facial expression killed her.

"I want to."

She knew it was coming and she could feel herself doing what the script had directed her to do.

She laid down on the pillows that surrounded them in the scene, and watched Cory crawl on top of her.

He finally placed his lips on hers, kissing her sweetly.

She'd never felt more electricity flow through her body so quickly.

Now she knew for sure that she had a special connection to this boy.

Once the director yelled cut, Cory peeled his lips off of her own and stared deep into her eyes.

"W-Wow." He stuttered, his face flushing red.

There was no way.

There was no way that he felt it too.


	53. A Better Place

"It's so beautiful here, Cor. Why did you ever leave?"

He squeezed her hand, appreciating her company.

"Oh trust me, I had good reason to leave."

She didn't believe him. Vancouver was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. The beautiful lakes and forests made her want to give up her city life and become a small town girl. Although, she'd probably regret it after a few hours.

Strolling through his hometown, she'd never felt happier.

He'd finally agreed to let her come home to Vancouver with him.

Obviously she was incredibly nervous being in his environment and meeting all his friends and family, but it made her feel even more connected to her boyfriend. It was an amazing feeling.

"So, where do you want to go?"

"I don't mind as long as I'm with you…"

Purring at her adorable, cheesy line, he placed his hands on her hips and led her into a slow kiss.

He always felt at home when he was with her, but the fact that they were surrounded by his physical home made the kiss even better.

"You're so cute."

He finished the kiss by pecking her on the nose and wrapping his arm back around her as they started to walk again.

She just smiled up at him as he complemented her, butterflies bouncing about her stomach.

"Hey, there's this really cute bakery not too far from here. I know you don't really eat pastries and cakes and stuff, but I used to go there as a child… I'd really like to see it again. Would you mind?"

"Of course I don't mind, I just told you that I don't care where we go as long as I'm with you."

Obviously he had to stop and kiss her again, standing shotgun against her body and pulling her tighter into him.

Once she pulled away from him, she shot a teasing look into his eye.

"Right, stop it now. We're never going to get anywhere if you stop every 25 yards to kiss me."

If she hadn't stopped him, he would've kissed her again.

He honestly didn't know how she could be so adorable.

Although she'd forbidden kissing, it didn't stop her from wrapping her arm around his waist and holding him tightly as they walked through the town.

She could tell people recognized them, but respected them enough to not take pictures or approach them.

Being polite, she nodded her head at them in appreciation.

All she wanted was a weekend free of paparazzi and new articles.

"We're here!" He said brightly, taking her waist in his hands from behind.

The building was beautiful.

It was made out of stone and looked super vintage.

The windows were filled with dozens of freshly baked goods including cupcakes, lemon meringue pies, strawberry tarts and chocolate chip biscuits.

"Come on, let's go inside!"

Before she knew it, he had pulled her into the store and her nostrils filled with the sweet scent of sugar.

Her mouth watered at the smell, her own personality torturing her with food.

Being a vegan meant so much to her and she knew that there was no way she could eat any of the products, but that didn't mean Cory couldn't.

"Cor? What was your favourite thing to eat here when you were little?"

"Oh god… I really couldn't tell you. I loved them all. But I guess I had a weakness for the peanut butter cupcakes that they make here."

He was surprised when she completely ignored him and walked up to the counter, a $10 Canadian bank note in her hand.

"Hi there, please could I get a peanut butter cupcake?"

The saleslady smiled back at Lea, automatically recognizing who she was.

"Yes of course…"

The woman was obviously star struck, but Lea just flashed her smiles.

"Here you go."

The lady placed the cupcake on the counter and took the note from Lea's hand, collecting change and tipping it back into Lea's grip.

"Thank-you very much."

Lea smiled back at the woman as she turned her back to face Cory again.

He looked down at her, his mouth watering at the sight of the cupcake.

"I could've bought myself one, you know."

"Yeah I know, but I wanted to buy you one."

He took her hand as he led her over to one of the café tables, never letting go of her hand as they sat.

"Can I eat it now?"

She giggled at how much of a predator he became around food.

Dipping her finger into the thick, creamy icing, she teased him with it, waving her hand in front of his face.

She finally moved her finger to his mouth and let him lick all of the icing off.

Laughing at how he sighed when he tasted the icing, she dipped her finger in it again, feeling his tongue wrap its way around her bone shortly after.

Once he'd eaten all the icing via her finger, he peeled the cupcake wrapper off the bun and dug his teeth into the dough.

Within seconds he had devoured the baked good and licked his lips contently.

"Thanks babe, that tasted even better than I imagined."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Washing away all the taste from his mouth with water, he couldn't help but think that he now had permission to kiss her.

"Everything seems so much better here now, with you with me."

"You're too sweet…"

"No I'm serious, Lee. I used to absolutely hate this place. Like, really hate it. But now that I'm here with you, it makes me feel like I'm seeing it in a different way."

He was being far too romantic for her to not swoon.

"Well, it is very beautiful here."

"And you make it even more beautiful."

He fell into her eyes and gently held her cheeks in his hands, finally moving his face closer to hers and kissing her.

It was no lie that he always took her breath away.

Even tasting the slightest hint of cinnamon in his mouth didn't bother her, she was getting used to being swept off her feet by him.

"I love you."

"I love you more…" she whispered quietly, pulling him to his feet and gesturing for them to leave, "Now come on, I believe we have a date with one Mrs. Monteith."

Now she had another challenge to face:

Dinner with his mother.

He had no doubt in his mind that she'd blow his entire family away.

Whether they liked it or not, he was madly in love with her and nothing they could ever say or do was going to change that.


	54. Forever Immortilized

Wrapping Season 3 was one of the hardest things any of the cast members had had to do.

Everyone's emotions were running wild as they thought back to the 3 amazing years together.

The years where they grew together, found fame together and loved together.

There was no doubt in the fact that they were a family.

Knowing things were never going to be the same killed each and every one of them.

Lea took it upon herself to organize a big cast picnic so that they could celebrate and enjoy each other's company for a while.

Obviously she still had Cory and Cory still had her, but she wasn't going to see her friends for a very long time.

Choosing the perfect location was hard.

She had to make sure that the park was clear so that they wouldn't be bothered by members of the public, just so that they could truly be themselves.

Giving the show a bad name was something that the entire cast were not willing to risk.

After finally selecting a large, unpopular park surrounded by trees, Lea contacted the land owner and arranged the party for 8pm, so that any possible pedestrians would not interfere.

Everyone decided that a pot luck was probably the best idea, since getting catered food seemed pretty ridiculous.

Lea made sure she was first on location so that she could set up blankets for them all to sit on.

"Is anyone else here yet?" she giggled when she felt Cory creep up behind her and hold her protectively by the waist.

"Yep. I just drove Jenna, Kevin and Mark down here from the set. Everyone else will be here soon."

She turned to see Cory's car parked on the grass, Mark opening the trunk and removing the boxes of beer he had clearly just bought.

Although Lea did like to drink, she didn't do it half as often anymore.

She always felt so embarrassed when Cory had to take care of her when she was drunk. She didn't like it at all.

"Hey Lea!" Jenna smiled, handing a platter of fruit to her, "I hope that's okay, I didn't really have time to make anything so I just popped to the store."

"That's perfect babe, don't even worry about it." She smiled back at her friend, taking the platter out of her hand and trying to place it on the floor.

Cory's tight grip made it almost impossible for her to bend down.

"Umm, excuse me?" she giggled, finally placing the tray on the ground and turning to face him, "Do you mind?"

He flashed his charming grin at her, as if he was completely innocent.

"Nope!"

He couldn't stop himself from massaging his hands around her hips and down to her butt as she kissed him, her tongue immediately gaining admittance into his mouth.

As professional as they were with their friends on set, they truly didn't care about showing their affection outside the FOX studios.

Their family deserved to see them as what they were, which was obviously a couple.

"Look at Monteith getting to second base before 9pm!" Mark hollered over, causing them to pull apart.

Cory hadn't even noticed his wandering hand.

Lea just blushed, hiding her face in Cory's chest as he continued to hold her by the hips.

"Thanks Mark. You're such a good pal."

Before Mark had a chance to reply, Dianna and Chris' cars pulled up on the grass, Heather, Naya, Amber, Harry, Vanessa and Darren piling out of the two cars.

Lea noticed the incredible amount of food that they had brought as it was all laid out on the blankets.

She greeted each one of her friends with a hug and a smile, grateful for their presence.

As soon as everyone had said their hellos, they all sat down on the blankets and formed a circle.

"I'm so glad we're doing this, I'm seriously going to miss you guys."

Dianna's sentiments caused several people to prick up and become emotional.

"Look how far we've all come together," Lea said, sitting up in Cory's lap, "It's incredible what we've achieved in the past few years… and I know that I can be a lot to handle at times, you know being so anal about everything and wanting to be perfect, so I just wanted to thank you all for being my friend and for being so awesome and putting up with me."

Lea couldn't help but choke up as she ran through her short speech, seeing Amber and Jenna's eyes fill with tears.

"Personally, I think we should all propose a toast to Lea."

Her eyes widened at Chris' words as he pulled three bottles of champagne out onto the blanket from behind his back.

"What?" she squeaked, completely confused as to why they would propose a toast to her.

Cory felt behind his own back and passed around plastic champagne flutes.

"Because you're the star, Lea. You're the one who made the show work. You're the one who always worked the hardest and put in the most. You are one of the biggest reasons Glee is what it is today. Without your hard work and dedication, none of us would be sitting here today with the lives that we are now living. It was all down to you, and you did it. You made our dreams come true."

Tears were pouring down her face as Chris spoke and she was pretty sure all the other girls were crying too.

"No, that's not true!" She protested, laughing and trying to jump out of Cory's grip.

"You need to listen to us when we say that it is true," Cory pulled her back onto his lap and nuzzled his head against her neck, "You're like Rachel Berry. You are a star, and you're brighter than anyone else here and in New York."

If she could've stopped herself from kissing him, she would have.

Her lips needed to feel his touch.

Finally kissing him, he brushed the tears away from her eyes with his fingers, her hair getting caught in his grip.

Everyone giggled softly at the sight of them making out during a heart to heart, it was so typical of them.

"Sorry guys," Lea laughed nervously, finally pulling away from the kiss and turning bright red.

"You guys did this too. There was no way I made this show on my own. You all need to give yourself more credit… so let's toast us. Not me. Us."

Chris nodded as he finished filling everyone's glasses with champagne.

"To us!" they all cheered in unison, raising their glasses and clinking them together.

After sipping on the champagne and chatting for a while, Lea opened up all the food and allowed them to eat.

Although she wasn't feeling too hungry, she nibbled on a few vegetables and just enjoyed hanging out with her friends.

When everyone had eaten and were getting a tad tipsy from all the alcohol they were consuming, Cory pulled Lea to her feet.

"What are you doing?"

"I want to show you something…"

"B-but we can't leave!"

"Lee, they're all on the road to getting wasted. They won't care!"

She nodded as he took her hand and firmly placed it in his own. Leading her through the grass.

After walking for 10 minutes, he brought her to an opening.

There were lights shining down on the opening where a big oak tree stood.

"Look!" he pointed up at the tree, showing her what he was talking about.

There was a tree house firmly nailed to the old oak, a ladder snaking down the trunk.

"Come on, let's go up!"

He saw her face light up and he knew that she thought he was being super romantic.

Once he had helped her to her feet, he pulled her body flush against his and held her close, enjoying the view from the height that they were stood at.

"How did you even know this was here?"

"When I first moved to LA I used to feel pretty stressed after hard days on set. You know, my dancing wasn't and still isn't the best… and I just felt so overwhelmed. So one day, I just decided to go for a walk to help me relax and I just kept walking and walking until I found this place. It's like my little sanctuary."

"Well that isn't romantic or anything…" she purred, snaking her arms around his next and pulling him into a kiss.

"I actually brought you here to do something…"

"Cory, there is no way I am having sex with you here…"

"Okay, please just stop talking?" he suggested gently, laughing at her ignorance, "I would never bring you here to do that."

She dipped her eyebrows in confusion until she saw him pull out a knife.

Of course her first thought was that he was going to kill something with his Canadian manhood, but he simply took her hand and placed it on his heart.

"I know this is super childish and silly, but I want to carve our names into this tree." He scanned her face, searching for some emotion, "I've missed out on so much in my life. I don't want to miss out on loving you and treasuring our relationship forever. I've loved you for three years. I've held you this close to my heart for that long… my love for you is never going to leave me. So would you mind if I immortalized us, here in this moment, for as long as this tree lives?"

For a big, tall, strong looking man, he was so romantic.

She couldn't stop herself from melting at his dialogue.

"I would love that, baby. I love you so much!"

She placed a wet kiss on his lips before he took her hand and led her down the steps of the tree house once more.

He chipped off some bark so that there was smooth wood facing them.

He carefully carved his initials 'C.M' into the tree before watching her chip her own "L.M' next to his. She quickly remembered to tap '2012' into the wood before handing the knife back to Cory.

He finished the carving by drawing the traditional heart around the outside of their initials, along since the date.

"You're the best."

She pressed him up against the tree and kissed him senseless, her legs eventually wrapping around his waist as he kissed her back.

He'd certainly swept her off her feet this time.

Literally.


	55. Keep Me Close

Being a jealous girlfriend was something that Lea always feared of being.

Cory was an attractive man.

He was literally everything a girl looked for in a guy, and to top it all off, he was the sweetest, kindest man a person could meet.

Upon receiving a picture message from her manager, Lea truly felt her heart stop.

It was a picture of Cory with another girl, her lips touching his cheek.

The picture had been leaked on almost every single networking site.

Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook.

Besides feeling completely humiliated, she felt heartbroken.

She truly thought she shared something special with Cory.

Cory bounded through Lea's front door, smiling and bubbly as usual.

He was confused when he didn't find her lounging in the garden or lounge or making dinner.

"Lea?!"

He heard sobs coming from their bedroom. His heart automatically started beating faster with concern as he wondered what was wrong.

"Lea?"

Turning the doorknob, he saw her laying face down on her bed, crying in the darkness.

"Babe, what's wrong?!

"Don't you fucking touch me Cory!"

He snapped his hand away from her body, shocked at the way she was speaking to him.

"I-I'm sorry? Did I do something wrong?"

"You're such a fucking asshole. Yes! You did do something wrong. Get out of my face I don't want to talk to you."

"Well, you have to tell me what I did wrong, Lea!"

"Oh, as if you don't know!" she cried, turning to face him.

Her entire face was smudged with mascara and lip gloss. Her eyes were swollen and raw and her head was so heavy from all the pressure on her sinuses.

"Lee… I seriously don't know. You need to talk to me right now."

He felt as though he could cry too. He absolutely hated himself when they got into fights.

"I can't believe you would do this to me." She sobbed, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

All he wanted to do was throw himself at her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. If she wasn't smiling, he wasn't happy.

Not knowing how to respond, he just watched her as she brought up an image on the screen.

He recognized the picture automatically and wanted to scream.

"Where the hell did you get that?"

"My manager sent it to me, Cory. Everyone had seen it before me! How do you think that makes me feel?" she continued to cry, realizing that he wasn't covering it up in any way.

"Okay, did you not get my text? I texted you explaining everything just in case this picture somehow managed its way onto the internet!"

She perked her head up at his words, intently listening.

"No, I didn't get any text."

Cory scrunched up his face and felt for his own pocket, checking his own messages to Lea.

Of course, the message hadn't sent properly. He had no signal when he was trying to send it.

"Oh my god Lea, I'm so sorry. It didn't send."

She scowled at him, still clearly heartbroken.

"There's an explanation."

"Yeah, I hope so…" she cried, leaning back on the bed, her gaze never leaving his eyes.

"Okay, so you know how I got signed with a new management team?"

She nodded her head, causing the tears to fall from her eyes again.

"Well, this girl, right here." He pointed at the girl in the picture, "She's my new manager."

She now looked even more confused and hurt than before.

"W-What the hell is she doing making a move on you?"

"No see, this is why I sent you the text. With every new client that she gets, she takes one of these silly pictures for her wall collage at home. She asked me if she could take the picture and I said yes, but I asked her to not use it for anything but the collage. I didn't want you to get upset if you saw it."

"So you just weren't going to tell me?"

"No, of course I was going to tell you… I tell you everything. I just didn't want you to see it before I got home and before I could explain everything to you."

A wave of relief flew through her body. It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of her shoulders again.

"Cory… I'm so sorry."

She threw herself into his arms, crying at how stupid she felt.

"Hey… it's okay." He rocked her back and forth in his arms, her tears staining his shirt.

"No, I really am sorry. I should've known that you would've never done that to me."

"I'm sorry that you felt that way. I never want to see you hurt, this just killed me seeing you like this."

He wiped some of the tears from her face, holding her even closer to him.

"I'm so sorry" she kept repeating between her cries.

"Why are you crying so hard baby? Stop it!

"Because I accused you of cheating on me! That makes me feel so bad! I'm just so sorry."

It was nice to know that she realized he would never hurt her that way, but he couldn't take her sobs any longer.

"Lea, please stop crying. Please? I swear that I'm going to start crying if you don't stop." He took her head in his hands and stared into her eyes, "You're far too pretty to cry."

She looked up at him with her puffy eyes and smiled softly into his gaze.

Capturing his lips, she couldn't help but sigh a little at how much of a relief it was to feel him on her again.

The only reason that she'd got so worked up about that whole situation was because she loved him so much, and never wanted anything to tear them apart.

"Okay…" she whispered sheepishly, pulling away from the kissing and rubbing her eyes.

Cory grabbed a tissue from her nightstand and began to dab at her face, removing all the tears from her eyes.

Once he had cleaned her up, he leaned back and admired his handiwork.

"There. So much better. You're so much more beautiful with a smile on your face."

She giggled lightly as he crawled on top of her, placing his lips on her neck.

"You need to know that I would never, ever cheat on you. I love you and you mean more to me than anything and anyone else in the world. Do you understand? You're never allowed to think that again."

She nodded as he briefly tore his lips away to reassure her.

He made it clear that he wasn't going anywhere.

He was hers.


	56. Never Change

"That's it! I'm done! I'm so fucking done, Cory!"

She threw the magazine she was reading on the ground after ripping it in two.

"Lea, what's wrong?"

She ignored him, tears pouring down her face as she slumped back into her hair.

She honestly couldn't take it anymore. She'd put on a brave face for so long and now she'd lost it. If all the journalists and gossip bloggers out there wanted to break her down, it was working.

"Baby, what happened?"

He sat on the arm of her chair and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her skin softly.

Whatever was upsetting her was something pretty serious. She never usually took offense to the bad things people wrote about her. She was a strong woman.

"Lea, please just tell me what's going on?"

He pulled her hands away from her face, seeing her blotchy face.

He always comforted her when she was upset and it always worked. But this time nothing was working. She was completely ignoring him.

She pulled out her phone and tapped a number into the keypad.

It confused him 1000 times more.

"What are you doing?!"

"Calling my doctor…"

"Why?!"

"Because I'm sick of being ugly!"

His jaw dropped with shock as she rose to her feet and pressed the phone to her ear.

"Hi, it's Lea Michele. I was wondering if you could put me through to Dr. Samurai? Thanks."

He listened intently to her conversation, standing right beside her and trying to figure out what was bothering her so much.

She waited a couple of seconds, avoiding eye contact with Cory as she was put through to the Doctor's office.

"Hi, it's Lea Michele! I was just wondering if I could book a rhinoplasty consultation for…"

Cory took the phone out of her hands and hung up the call.

"What the fuck are you doing Lea?"

"I want a nose job…" she sniffed, her whole body shaking.

"Why?!"

"Because I'm sick of people saying shit about me, Cory! I've tried so hard to rise above them all, but I just can't anymore. It hurts too much!"

He bundled her into his chest and held her tight against him. He could feel her little heart beating into his as she cried.

There was literally nothing he could do but hold her.

She'd finally broken.

"I-I'm sorry, you shouldn't have to deal with this."

"I'm not dealing with anything. I'm here for you, Lea. But you need to tell me what's going on."

She wiped her eyes and peeled her face from his strong chest.

She nodded weakly and went to sit on the large sofa, where Cory automatically pulled her onto his lap as she turned to look him in the eye.

"Babe, please tell me. I'm your boyfriend. You know you can tell me absolutely anything."

She took a deep breath before opening her mouth to speak.

"I just read in that magazine over there-" she cried, pointing over to the ripped up magazine on the floor, "that this journalist did this poll on me and my nose. 78.9% of people think that I'd look better without a nose than with the one I have! How's that supposed to make me feel? Good?!"

She resumed her crying position on his chest, completely humiliated by the embarrassing poll.

All he wanted to do was cry along with her.

"Lea… that is the biggest piece of bullshit I have ever heard in my entire life."

"Well that's funny, since 78.9% of the people out there seem to disagree with you!"

She couldn't stop herself from shouting at him. They both knew it wasn't his fault, she was just extremely upset over the fact that people were being so mean.

"Babe, you're beautiful…"

"No I'm not! If I were beautiful, people wouldn't be saying awful things about me! Look at Joan Rivers! She insults me every fucking time I step out on the red carpet! I'm not doing this anymore, it hurts to much!"

She tried to slip off his lap and reach for her phone but his arm stopped her, pulling her back to his lap.

"Don't you dare call them back! Sit back down and listen to me!"

She winced when she heard his tone. He was hardly ever sharp and stern.

Doing as she was told, she saw his eyes soften when she resumed her previous position on his lap.

"You're fucking beautiful. You're the most amazing, gorgeous, talented girl that I have ever met and honestly, I'm not sure why you're with me. You deserve so much better than little old me."

He saw her open her mouth in protest, but he quickly silenced her with his finger.

"Don't listen to them. They're just jealous of you and everything you are. They know that it won't get it you because you're so strong and you always put on a brave face. But they've broken you down now, I can see that."

More tears popped from her eyes as he spoke, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment.

"But you have to believe me when I say you're beautiful. Everything about your body is beautiful. I love your hair, your eyes, your mouth, your ears… everything. But do you know what I love most? Your nose. People are crazy, Lea. They're going to attack you from every angle, but you've just got to ignore it, okay? You shouldn't care about what those people say about you. I know you and you know how I feel about you, so what else do you need? You have so many people in your life who love you and think you're beautiful. Isn't that enough?"

She knew he had a point. There was a lot of hate in the world that she just simply needed to ignore. There were always going to be people trying to bring her down.

"You're so right. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize…"

He brought her lips to his and kissed her slowly, feeling the moisture of her cheeks press against his. He piled as much love into the kiss as physically possible, trying to make her feel special and loved again.

"Now, if anyone ever says anything bad to you, you come to me and tell me, okay? I'm not having you upset like this ever again. I'll take care of the assholes, alright babe?"

She smiled, her heartwarming over his protectiveness.

"Okay, I promise."

She kissed him back, giving him a deeper kiss and showing him how much she appreciated his support. He really did know how to make a relationship work.

"You are beautiful. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise."


	57. Welcome to the Family

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, she wondered whether the pink baby doll dress she was wearing was way too formal for where she was headed.

"You look beautiful darling," Cory said, kissing her cheek as he passed by the mirror fixing his tie.

"Don't you think I'm a bit too overdressed?"

"Babe, I'm wearing a suit. If we're overdressed, we'll be overdressed together."

He could tell that her nerves were wracking inside of her. It was adorable how much she cared about how his family would perceive her. It was the first time she'd be meeting them as his girlfriend.

"Okay, we better go. Don't want to be late now do we?"

It was so typical of her to be concerned about the time. Tardiness was her biggest pet peeve.

"Calm down, we're ahead of schedule... I'm sure you can spare one or two minutes for a kiss?"

Of course he knew he was right. She never declined his kisses.

Laughing, she balanced up on her tip toes and kissed him sweetly.

Just as he was about to deepen the kiss and wrap his arms around her backside, she pulled away and grabbed his hand.

"Now come on, we really must go."

He rolled his eyes, following her out the door and locking it behind them.

"Cor, I'm freaking out…"

Her heart rate began to pick up as they pulled up outside Cory's mother's house. She was absolutely terrified that his family wouldn't like her.

"Stop freaking out, Lee. You've met them before and they already love you!"

"Yeah, but its different now."

"Hardly. I'm pretty sure they knew I was in love with you from the moment I introduced you to them."

"Really?"

Her eyes lit up at his confession.

"Um.. yeah? I was hooked on you before we finished filming the first half of Season 1, Lee."

She knew that he'd been in love with her for a long time, but she'd had no idea that he was hooked on her and not afraid to show it in front of his family.

"You're cute."

She pecked his lips gently before reaching for the car door and letting herself out.

"They're gonna love you even more after tonight. Don't worry."

She nodded her head as he took her hand and walked her up to the door way.

Knocking on the door, he couldn't help but feel all the memories of the place flood back into his mind.

Unfortunately, there were more bad memories than good ones, but he knew that Lea was going to help him make new memories in the house that he was going to remember for the rest of his life.

His mother swung the door open and automatically enveloped her son in a massive hug.

"Cory! How are you?!"

Her sound was muffled by his jacket as she held him close in her embrace.

As soon as she pulled away from her extremely tall son, she turned to Lea, smiling at the beautiful girl in front of her.

"Lea, sweetheart!"

To Lea's surprise, the older woman pulled her into a hug and kissed her lightly on the cheek in a greeting fashion.

"How are you? It's been a while!"

Her causal tone made Lea relax a little, loosening the tight grip she had on Cory's hand.

"I'm amazing thank-you! How are you?"

"I'm brilliant now that you guys are here!"

Cory smiled down at Lea, relieved that she was starting to relax and just be herself. That's all she needed to do for them to like her.

"So can we come in, mum? Or do we have to stay out here?" Cory laughed, highlighting the fact that they were still stood in the doorway.

"Oh yes of course! Sorry! Come right in!"

She opened the door wider as Lea stepped into the building first, shortly followed by Cory who closed the door behind them.

Cory took Lea's coat and hung it up in the closet as they both slipped off their shoes.

"Lea, this is Cory's stepfather…" she pointed over to the man sat in the lounge, he rose to his feet upon hearing his name.

He greeted Cory with a hug, welcoming him back home.

"And Lea? I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before?"

"No, I don't think we have. It's nice to meet you." She extended her hand to shake his.

He was clearly impressed by the gesture.

"Well won't you guys sit down?" his mother chirped up, "We have some catching up to do!"

Cory led Lea over to one of the couches and immediately wrapped his arm around her, making sure she knew that he was there with her.

"So, how's L.A?"

'It's good, I guess." Cory said, "Extremely hot. But it's good. I'm starting to really like it."

"Good, that's great honey. What about you Lea? How are you liking the west coast?"

"It's definitely growing on me," she smiled up at Cory, "It's definitely not New York, but it's making it's way up there. I just miss the buzz and the bright lights, you know?"

Cory was relieved at how easily she was making conversation with his parents. He could tell she had finally entered her comfort zone around them.

After talking about Glee, Bonnie Dune, Hollywood and everything in between, dinner was finally ready to be served.

"Won't you guys please take a seat in the dining room? We'll be in with the food in a moment!"

Cory nodded as he rose to his feet and led her into the dining room under his arm.

"I'm sorry, am I making myself look bad? I feel so stupid!"

"Lea, what are you talking about? They're in love with you! You're being perfect, don't even worry. Just keep being yourself. That's who I fell in love with."

She smiled as she took a seat next to him and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

Both of his parents emerged from the kitchen a few minutes later with trays of food in their hands.

"Cory told us that you're a vegan, Lea… so we made you some pasta. Is that okay?"

"Oh gosh, that's more than perfect! Thank-you so much, you really didn't need to do that!"

"Of course we did, sweetheart. You're family now."

She felt her heart stop when she said the word family. It meant so much to her that she had even mentioned that.

"Can we eat now? I'm starving!"

It was typical of Cory to ignore all the sentiments and just care about what he was truly there for. The food.

"Sure, dig in!"

They all started to eat their meals, enjoying the taste of homemade food.

"So Cory, are we going to be hearing wedding bells and time soon?"

"What?!" Cory almost choked on his food at his mother's comment.

Lea's eyes widened at her suggestion. Some part of her wanted to laugh.

"Oh come on Cor! She's a beautiful girl and you love her… how long have you two been dating now?"

"Just 8 months…" Lea chipped in sheepishly, feeling Cory's hand on her thigh.

"Mum, I don't think it's appropriate to be talking about that right now. When the time is right we will make that decision together."

She knew Cory was being genuine. There was no way they could get married now. Especially since they had only been together for just over half a year. Their lives were far too busy already. They didn't need the stress and pressure and attention of planning a wedding right now.

"Oh, sorry! I'm just looking out for you, son. You are thirty afterall…"

Lea laughed, it was only in his mother's best intentions to bring up the subject of marriage.

It didn't bother her that Cory had responded to the question the way he did.

She knew that they were going to get married one day.

She'd never been more sure about anything before.

He was the one.


	58. Surprise

I _can't wait for you to get home. I have a big surprise for you! :)_

She smiled as she waved her fingers across the screen and sent the text message.

She truly couldn't wait to see his face when he walked through the door.

_I'll be home soon baby, sorry it's taking so long x_

Working late was definitely not one of Cory's favourite things to do. The endless meetings and conferences with his management team were starting to really get on his nerves. He obviously knew they were only trying to help him and further his career. But his summer was being taken over by his career.

She smiled at his response, his cute kiss on the end warming her heart. He always sent her cute messages.

Turning her head to the drum kit that she had just purchased for Cory, she couldn't help but feel as though she was doing something really good.

Playing the drums made Cory happy. It was one of his biggest passions and all she wanted to do was make sure that he got his music fix.

She knew what it was like to be passionate about something. Her entire life revolved around musical theatre and acting. If she wasn't an actress, she honestly didn't know what she would have done with her life. It meant everything to her. Of course she had to sacrifice her personal life to live out her dream, but she wouldn't swap it for anything. She loved being on Glee and she'd loved being on Broadway. She truly felt like she was the luckiest girl on earth, living out her dreams.

The difference between her and Cory was that Lea always had something to indulge in. She was constantly being invited to plays, musicals, premieres and concerts.

Cory didn't even own a drum set.

He hadn't owned one for some time and she could tell that he was starting to go a little crazy. It was his way of relaxing.

As soon as he was out of the house long enough for her to go down to the music store, she called on Jon to help her transport the drum set from the store, to her house.

It was the most expensive kit available. But the way she saw it, Cory deserved the biggest and the best.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Cory's car pull up in her driveway.

Smoothening down her dress and fixing her bangs, she jumped up from the sofa where she had been lounging, admiring the beautiful instrument.

She made sure that she reached he door before he did, and swung it open before he had even reached the step.

He saw her bright face and felt his mood lighten all of a sudden.

It was crazy how happy her happiness made him.

Wrapping his strong arms around her tiny waist, he pulled her into a kiss, running his fingers through her hair and cupping the side of her face in the sweet embrace.

"Well hello!" she giggled, feeling his hands move away from her face and down to her hips as she ended the kiss.

"I missed you."

"You've only been out of the house 12 hours silly!"

"I still missed you."

"You're cute."

He saw her eyes sparkling in the moonlight, making them even more beautiful than before.

"Not as cute as you."

He couldn't stop himself from arching his neck down and trapping her lips against his, suddenly becoming flushed at their contact.

"As much as I would love to stay in the door way and make out for the entire world to see, I still have a surprise for you."

He noted that her first sentence was definitely sarcasm, but she still sounded genuine when she said that she had a surprise for him.

"I thought you were the surprise…"

"You're such a flirt, Cory! I'm being serious!"

She pouted at him, sulking at how he was ruining the moment.

"Okay Lee," he smiled, kissing her forehead, "I'm sorry. Surprise me!"

Her face lit up in a smile again as she reached for his hand and squeezed it gently.

"Close your eyes!"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!" she squeaked, reaching up on her tip toes and trying to covering his eyes with her hand.

It was almost impossible due to their height difference.

"Fine!" he laughed, covering his eyes with his hands, feeling her pull him into the house and close the door behind them.

"Okay. I'm going to hold on to your shirt, so go in the direction that I'm pulling, okay?"

"Okay…"

She couldn't help but feel her heart rate increase as they got closer and closer to the drum kit.

After she'd pulled him into the perfect position, she released him from her grip.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now!"

She couldn't stop herself from grinning when she saw his eyes open and his whole face erupt into a smile.

"Wh-What? Where did you get this?!"

He walked over to the drum kit and stroked the side of the snare drum, feeling the quality of the material.

"I bought it for you."

Feeling like he was dreaming, he turned to face her again, seeing the shine in her eyes.

"You-You bought this? For me?"

"Yep!"

Before she knew it, he dipped her down into a slow, romantic kiss. His lips making sure she knew how much he loved her.

"You're crazy! Why the heck did you do this for me?!"

"Because you're special," she held her arms around his waist, looking up into his beautiful eyes, "I know how much you love playing them, I didn't want you to lose that part of you. Just because you're not allowed to have drums at your house doesn't mean you can't have them here. I just want you to play and indulge in your passion. You're really, really talented Cory. Stop ignoring your love for music."

He arched his neck down and kissed her again, starting to get a little over heated at her kind gestures.

"I love you so much." He smiled into her face, placing another kiss on her nose, "You make me so happy."

"You make me happier than you'll ever know, Cory."

She pulled out of his grip, leading him over to the drums and sitting him on the stool.

"Come on, play for me!"

He took the drum sticks in his fingers and felt the smooth wood against his fingertips.

Not needing to be asked twice, he started drumming out a beat, playing the rhythm steadily and loving the feeling of the snares.

After 5 minutes he placed the drum sticks down, gasping for breath as he'd gotten carried away and really drummed the beats hard.

"I haven't played like that in forever."

"You made it sound like you play every day, baby."

"It felt good. Thank-you so much Lea."

He gestured for her to perch herself on his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist when she finally did as she was told.

"Okay. So I'm going to teach you how to play."

"Oh no Cory! I'm crap!"

"No you're not, I'll teach you!"

He picked the drum stick back up and moved her hands on top of his as he started drumming out a beat.

He could feel her getting excited as their hands moved together, making music and going with the flow of the rhythm.

Every time he moved his hands quickly against the drums, she squealed in excitement, loving how strong and powerful it sounded.

He found it adorable how excited she got about everything.

When Lea finally released her fingers from the sticks, she turned to face him.

"You need to promise me something."

"Okay…"

"You have to play these drums whenever you want. Even if it's a Sunday morning! I won't even care!"

Kissing her, he'd never felt more in love with her than the current moment.

She knew how to make him happy.


	59. I'll Never Leave You

Everything had been planned down to the last detail.

She'd even gone out to the store and bought candles for the table, making the atmosphere romantic and sensual.

Placing a flower in her hair, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous for her date with Cory.

She had some serious, serious feeling for him and she knew that he felt the same way. It was just the thought of their relationship taking yet another step forward that made her jittery.

She knew what she had to do. If she didn't ask him soon, it was officially going to drive her mad.

"Does a Ms. Lea Michele live here?"

He poked his head through her front door, his petite girlfriend making her way through the lounge to greet him.

"I think she does!"

He brought himself into the house and slipped his arms around her waist, bringing her up to kiss him.

"You look so beautiful."

"And you look so handsome!"

He was wearing a suit. She'd told him to dress up as she wanted to make it feel like they were at some posh restaurant.

Obviously they couldn't really go to a big swanky restaurant. The chances of them getting spotted together were far too high. All they wanted was to spend time with each other, and having dinner at Lea's was the only way they were going to be able to, in peace.

"No seriously Lee… you're so stunning."

He scanned her body, his blood pressure rising at the sight of her.

She was wearing a gorgeous off the shoulder crimson dress. The length reached her knee, complementing her tanned skin. Her makeup was perfect, her eyes large and dramatic with the countless strokes of eyeliner and mascara that she had painted them with.

"Oh stop!"

She felt his arm tighten around her as they walked into the lounge, sitting themselves on the sofa.

It was hard for them to feel like they were on a date. They were both so used to sharing this space with each other and it was all too familiar to them. But still, a date was a date.

"I-I bought champagne for us."

She pulled a bottle of champagne from the ice box that rested on her coffee table, slicing the cork and sending some of the liquid into the air.

Champagne raining down on top of them, Cory couldn't stop himself from kissing her, smudging her lipstick on to his face.

"Cory! You ruined my lips!" she grunted, finally pulling away and dabbing her finger along her mouth.

"Sorry. Kissing you in champagne rain has always been on my bucket list. I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by!"

He was obviously proud of himself for his smooth come back.

Sighing, she relaxed back into his arm, connecting their eyes together.

"It's nice to just be with you and not have people bothering us. This might not be much, but at least we're not paranoid about people spotting us."

"Yeah, it is nice. No assholes taking pictures of us behind our backs and posting them online. This is special."

He kissed her cheek, feeling how flushed she was.

"Lee… are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah! I'm fine, why?"

She was totally lying. She was completely freaking out.

There was a reason why she'd done all this. Why she'd made such an effort for the night to be romantic and special.

"You just seem a bit jittery. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

He was making it extremely hard for her not to jump the gun and ask him right there and then.

"I know… it's just-"

"Just what?"

She knew she just had to come straight out and say it. It was killing her inside and it truly didn't matter to her whether they were sat at the dinner table or not.

She just needed some form of relief.

"Okay, well…" she swallowed, staring softly into his eyes, "Being with you is amazing. I've never felt more loved or cherished before in my life. I've truly never been happier. You must know how I feel about you by now… I mean, I can't believe you didn't see how much I was in love with you until I told you! I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm just loving my life with you and loving what we share. I love how you're always here and you're always with me, loving me and making me feel like a princess. Right now, I can't imagine my life without you. You're everything to me, Cory… and I never want to lose that feeling. I want us to hold on to what we have now and expand that into something bigger. So, what I'm really asking is… would you maybe want to move in with me?"

She winced as she finished her speech, preparing herself for his response.

He didn't look surprised, but he didn't look excited.

"Oh Lea, I love you so much."

His voice was a little shaky, moving his arms around her waist and resting them on her hips as they continued to sit on the sofa.

"What?"

"Lea, I love you more than you'll ever know… but I just don't think that's a good idea."

She felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Her stomach started to turn and she began to feel sick. She'd never expected him to turn her down.

"You-You don't want to move in with me?"

"No! It's not that I don't, it's just-"

He stopped talking upon seeing big fat tears roll down her cheeks, her face bright red with embarrassment.

She'd just expressed her deepest feelings for him to his face and he'd completely shut her down in return.

"Baby, please don't cry…"

"Why not?! I feel like an idiot right now! I thought you wanted to be with me?"

"I do want to be with you Lea! Give me a chance to explain!"

Knowing that he did have an explanation relaxed her a little and she fell back into his arms, feeling his hands rub up and down her skin.

"I want to be with you more than anything else in the world. But unfortunately, I'm in a very awkward position right now." He spoke slowly and clearly, "I live in a big house with a very expensive mortgage with two other guys. They don't make the money I make, Lee. If I move out, how the hell are they going to pay their costs of living? I can't just leave them homeless. That wouldn't be right. And it wouldn't be fair on you, either. You just bought this place for yourself! You own it! I'd never take advantage of that, babe."

Being a nice, thoughtful guy sometimes hurt. He truly did want to move in with her, but he knew where he stood with his friends. There was no way he could leave them hanging.

"I-I understand. I'm sorry that I tried to make things move too fast…"

Seeing more tears pop themselves out of her eyes, he brought her eye level back up into his gaze, stroking her face with his thumbs.

"What are you talking about? You're not making things move too fast at all. Trust me Lea, if I could, I would move in with you in a heartbeat! You're everything to me. When I'm not near you, I miss you… even if I am only a few blocks away! One day we will live together, I promise. But right now, things are complicated. Plus, I stay over here most nights anyway, babe. It wouldn't have made much difference!"

Her confidence had been restored.

Although she desperately wanted to live with Cory, she knew that she had to accept his situation. They both had to push their selfish desires aside and realize the reality of their relationship. It wasn't just them who depended on each other. Other people depended on them too.

"I love you so much."

She snaked her hands up to his neck and kissed him roughly, slotting her tongue into his mouth almost immediately.

Even if they weren't moving in together quite yet, there was no reason why she couldn't pretend.


	60. Friendship

Filming group numbers were without a doubt her favourite part of being on Glee.

The entire cast had become so close in the 3 years that they'd been working together. It just made her heart so incredibly warm to see everyone hanging out and enjoying each other's company.

They were filming a scene in the auditorium.

It was a big number with lots of dancing and tough vocals.

But she wouldn't have it any other way. The entire cast were at their best when challenged.

Sitting in the middle of the stage alone, she watched the world go by around her. Contently appreciating everyone for who they were. Being there with them was such a blessing for her. She truly didn't know what her life would be like if she hadn't met them all.

After sitting and losing herself in her thoughts for 5 minutes, she saw a familiar face meet hers.

"Hi"

He sat down opposite her, taking her hand and stroking it gently.

"Hi." She smiled back into his eyes, suddenly appreciating his company.

"Watcha doing?"

"Just sitting here… enjoying the atmosphere."

He played with her hands, clasping them in and out of his fingers as she spoke.

Something about the way they were sitting and interacting with each other made them feel like love sick teenagers again.

"Well, I got you a coffee."

Sure enough, he placed her coffee down beside her on the ground, grabbing it from behind his back.

"Aw thanks Cor."

"Come on, don't I deserve a kiss for that?!"

Giggling, she reached her hands over to his face and brought him closer, placing a chaste kiss on his lips.

He smiled back her, his fingers still entwined in her hands.

Ever since they'd told everyone at work about their relationship, things had been so much easier.

They didn't have to hide away anymore. All they had ever wanted was for them to be themselves in front of the people who loved them. They owed them that much.

"You're so cute sitting here on your own people watching."

She flashed him her cutesie smile and brushed her nose up against his, giving him a butterfly kiss.

He moved a strand of hair away from her face and placed it by her ear, still sitting in front of her.

The way he kept caressing her hands gave her butterflies.

"Hey guys?"

They heard Chris call out to them as he walked in their direction, Amber hanging off of his arm.

"Hey!" Cory looked up at the boy towering over him, holding Lea's hands to his chest.

"Mind if we sit with you guys?"

"Not at all!" Lea said, shuffling over so that she was finally sat in Cory's lap.

The pair sat down beside them, watching Cory press kisses on to her head.

Clearly not caring that Chris and Amber were now watching them consciously, Cory made his way down her forehead.

Lea tilted her head back so that he could reach her lips with his own, pressing numerous kisses to the skin.

"You guys are so cute, oh my god. I'm about to die from adorableness here."

Lea giggled, removing her lips from Cory's and feeling a little embarrassed.

Although they felt comfortable around Chris and Amber and everyone else, it was still a little awkward when they had impromptu PDA sessions.

"Hey guys!" Dianna said brightly, walking up to her four friends on the ground, "This looks fun! What are you guys up to?"

"Oh we're just chatting!" Amber said, moving over and letting Dianna into their little circle.

"Well, we are… I'm not sure what those two are doing." Chris corrected her, pointing over at Cory and Lea.

Lea was trying desperately hard to ignore Cory's light kisses along her neck.

She was usually the one piling her love onto him. He was never usually this affectionate with her in front of anyone.

"I'm sorry guys, I don't know what's wrong with him…"

She laughed as he pulled his lips away from her and poked her in the ribs.

"There is nothing wrong with me, asshole." He joked, wrapping his arms around her waist and securing her in his legs, stopping her from moving.

Eventually, the entire cast at joined them one by one and formed a rather large circle on the floor of the auditorium set.

This was what Lea loved.

These were the memories that she would keep in her heart forever.

Heather had popped out to the store during the break and bought 3 platters of mixed fruits for everyone.

When they had intense shooting days like this, they needed to take breathers as they entered the night periods.

It was already approaching 9pm, meaning that they had been on set for 15 hours.

Heather decided that it'd be fun if they played 'Never Have I Ever' with the fruit, instead of taking shots.

"Okay, let the Saw go first!" Mark piped up, making sure everyone heard him, "Never have I ever been uncool."

Everyone laughed at his lame contribution, Naya hitting him on the shoulder playfully.

Next it was Dianna's turn as they rotated clockwise through the circle.

"Never have I ever been in a car crash."

Of course Lea shamefully clapped her hands, her cheeks burning red as everyone laughed with her, remembering her awful experience.

After playing a few rounds, they quickly became bored and just lounged about chatting.

Their break was dragging on a lot longer than expected. Some of the auditorium lights had blown a fuse and created a cocktail of problems for Ryan and the crew.

"Are you tired, babe?" Cory said, still holding her tight in his lap but turning her to face him.

Her legs now straddled his waist.

"I'm getting there… it's been a long day."

She stifled a yawn as she snuggled into his chest, smelling his scent and relaxing her muscles.

He could hear her purring into his shirt as he ran his hands up and down her back, massaging them softly.

"Oooh stop! If you keep doing that I might fall asleep!"

Like he was going to stop.

Her purrs were like music to his ears.


	61. Clear the Air

Walking along the bridge, she couldn't help but think about how lucky she was.

She had everything that she had ever wanted.

Her dream job, amazing friends and family members, an amazing support system and a boy who loved her more than anything else in the world.

Taking time out and walking through the park made her truly appreciate how blessed she was.

"You were right, it is beautiful here."

Cory squeezed her hand, staring off into the sunset that was falling around them.

"It is… but everything seems so much more beautiful now that I'm seeing it all with you."

Not ignoring her cuteness, he slipped his hands around her waist and held her gently against him, brushing his lips against hers, inevitably sending shivers down her spine.

Pulling away from the embrace, she giggled and wrapped her arm around his waist as they continued on the path.

Picking her head up from the ground, she saw a man jogging down the path towards them.

"Shit!" she gasped, stopping suddenly and not knowing what to do with herself.

"What's up?!"

"You see that guy headed in our direction? That's Theo. I'm such an idiot! I should've known that he always comes here to work out!"

Cory studied the man running towards them. He was listening to his ipod and working up a serious sweat. He knew it was unlikely that Theo would recognize them.

"Just keep walking, okay?"

She nodded her head and kept her head low, quickly dashing by him.

Just as she thought they'd passed him unnoticed, she heard his voice call out her name.

"Lea?!"

Cory brought their pace to a halt, urging her to turn around and talk to him.

"Th-Theo?"

She pretended like she had never recognized him in the first place, quickly removing her arm from Cory's waist and taking a step closer to the man.

"How are you?"

Theo was studying Cory, watching how he was reacting to the situation.

Both men were cool and calm.

"I'm good. What are you doing here? I thought you moved back to New York?"

"I did, sort of. I kinda split my time between here and New York now."

"Oh…"

The conversation quickly became extremely awkward as Cory took a step forward.

"Hey Cory, what's up?"

The man extended his arm to shake Cory's.

Not knowing what to do, he shakily raised his arm and reciprocated his gesture.

"Umm… nothing much, just out for a walk."

"It's beautiful, eh?"

Both Cory and Lea were completely confused by his behaviour. He seemed totally okay with the fact that they were out walking together, clearly as a couple.

"Cory, would you mind running back to the car and getting my purse for me?" Lea said, hinting at Cory that she wanted to talk to Theo alone.

He got the message and nodded his head, turning his back on the two.

Once Cory was out of sight, she turned her glance back to him.

"Lea, you don't have to feel bad. I already know…"

"Know what?" she responded, trying to avoid eye contact.

"About you and Cory. I mean, it wasn't exactly hard to ignore… you're all over the news."

He should've sounded sharp and bitter, but he didn't.

"Theo… I'm sorry- I've got to go…"

Freaking out, she didn't see how she could keep the conversation going. He was making her extremely uncomfortable.

"Lea! Don't go. I haven't seen you in 8 months and when I finally do, you want to leave?"

He caught her hand as she was about turn on him, bringing her back to face him.

"Theo, I don't know what to say… what is there to say?"

"You don't have to say anything, okay? I'm not mad at you."

"What?"

She was genuinely shocked. If she had been in his position, she would've been pissed.

"I'm not mad at you. Why would I be? It's Cory, for gods sake! You two were always going to end up together…"

Shocked, she truly couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Theo had always had an issue with her friendship with Cory when they were dating. It was a known fact that Cory wasn't his favourite person in the world and he had never been afraid to tell her that.

"I-I don't understand? You don't like Cory?"

"No, but that doesn't mean that I can't respect your decision to be with him. I always knew that your heart was with him, as much as you believed it was with me."

She felt her cheeks brighten as he smiled at her.

Now that he had mentioned it, she realized that he was right.

Her heart had always been with Cory and not Theo. As much as she wanted to think it was with Theo when they were together, she knew it wasn't. It relieved her to know there was some sort of explanation now for how she was feeling at that point in her life.

"So don't worry, okay?" He caught her eye, smiling softly, "I'm not mad or angry or anything. I'm happy for you if anything."

"Really?"

"Yeah of course. I keep seeing you in magazines with him, smiling and giggling. I truly don't care who you date, as long as they make you happy."

"Ah, well you don't have to worry about that! I'm very happy."

She smiled up at him, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Good."

He opened his arms to her, clearly wanting to break the tension.

She didn't see why she couldn't be polite and give him a friendly gesture.

After all, they were still friends.

"Hey, everything okay?"

They broke apart from the hug to see Cory standing beside Lea, a confused look on his face.

Of course he wasn't angry or jealous, just curious as to what had happened between them.

"Yeah, everything is great." Lea said, slipping her arm around Cory's waist once more.

He rested his arm over her shoulders and stroked her gently.

"It was so nice catching up with you Lee, but I really must go. If I stop now, I won't get going again!"

She smiled at him, appreciating his effort to set things right between them.

"It was great to see you again, take care!" she called after him as he began jogging again, waving.

Cory took his arm and held her by the waist.

"What the heck was all that about?"

"Oh Cor, don't even worry about it. He was just trying to be a good person…"

"I'm not worried about it? I'm just curious to know what he had to say."

Staring into his eyes, she smiled just to reassure him that everything was okay.

"He just said that he was happy for us and other stuff…"

"Hey, what else did he say?"

She heard the concern in his voice and she immediately felt guilty for worrying him on false pretences.

"Oh no, not anything bad. It's just embarrassing."

"Oh come on Lee! You can tell me!"

He stroked her face affectionately, slowly but surely winning her over.

"He just- He just said that he knew we were always going to end up together, that's all…"

A sweet smile crept across his face.

"Did he?"

"Yeah, he was really sweet about it. But you know, now that I come to think about it, he's totally right. I mean, look us… look at everything we've done together, how far we've come."

He didn't need to answer her with words, the only way he could show her how he truly felt was through a kiss.

She'd never felt happier or more in love before.


	62. Dinner and a Movie

Now and again, he had to stop and seriously think about how he had ended up here.

How he had ended up in Los Angeles with the best job he could've ever wished for and most importantly, the love of his life.

Coming from a guy who had once hit rock bottom, he was pretty damn grateful for everything in his life.

Watching her sleep was when he thought about these things the most.

The questions kept popping into his head as he watched her contently.

_How had he got here?_

_How the hell had he managed to get a girl like her fall in love with him?_

_Why was he so lucky?_

_What did he ever do to deserve this life that he loved so much?_

Seeing her beautiful face so relaxed as she slept, he couldn't stop himself from gently caressing her cheeks.

He winced as she stirred in her sleep and gently opened her eyes.

As soon as her eyes met his, she smiled brightly and felt for his arms.

"Why aren't you cuddling me? I only like it when I wake up with your arms around me."

She nuzzled into his chin as soon as he took her in his arms and held her tight.

"Morning baby.." he said, his voice low and sexy, just like it always was in the early morning.

"Oh no…" she grunted, finally remembering what her day entailed.

"It'll be okay… don't you worry!" he tried reassuring her, holding her even tighter when she turned in his arms to face him.

"But I don't want to get my wisdom teeth pulled. It hurts! Last time was awful…"

He'd had his wisdom teeth removed only a few days earlier and totally knew what she meant.

Even he had been a little uncomfortable, and he usually had a pretty amazing tolerance to pain.

"But if you don't get them taken out babe, they'll feel even worse."

He definitely had a point and she knew it.

"Okay," she pouted, puckering her lips, "but you have to feed me ice cream when it's all over, okay?"

"Okay, deal!" he said, pressing his lips against hers and kissing her.

They shared a sweet, romantic embrace and finally pulled away from each other when Lea realized that she really did need to get up.

Missing the appointment for her boyfriend's benefit was not something she was willing to do.

She stumbled out of the doctor's office at approximately 12:30pm.

Her body had been completely taken over by pain killers as she struggled to remain focus.

"Hey, how's my girl?" Cory said, walking up the steps to the Doctor's Office.

He'd been waiting outside for her ever since she'd gone in 2.5 hours ago.

One of his biggest promises to her was that he would always be there for her.

And he always was.

"Can we just go home? I just want to sleep it off, okay? I'm sorry."

Although she wasn't in the best mood, sounding crabby and sharp, she clasped her fingers into his and stroked them gently.

"Of course. There's a nice warm bed waiting for you at home."

He helped her into the car and strapped her in before jumping into the driver's seat and starting the engine.

She was almost asleep by the time that they pulled up onto her drive.

After sleeping for 2 hours, Lea awoke with Cory's arms around her.

Before she had fallen asleep she had ordered Cory to lie with her and cuddle until she fell asleep.

Obviously he'd fallen asleep with her and never left.

"How's my little chipmunk?" he whispered, his eyes opening at her sudden movement.

"I'm feeling much better now thank-you," she placed a small kiss onto his forehead, "Sorry for being so grumpy earlier. I didn't mean to be rude to you…"

She placed another kiss on his head, earning his charming smile in return.

"It's fine babe, don't even worry about it. I'm just glad that you're feeling better."

He sat up and propped pillows behind her back, watching her relax back onto them and smile at him in appreciation.

"Thanks Cor, do you want to watch some TV? I've got loads I need to catch up on!"

"Sure!"

He jumped up from the bed and grabbed the remote from her nightstand, turning on the TV and allowing her to choose what she wanted to watch.

They sat in bed cuddling and kissing for an hour before an idea popped into Lea's mind.

"Can we go out?!"

"Lea, are you crazy? You just got your wisdom teeth out! I think you need to relax…"

"No please!" she said, crawling on top of him, "I feel fine! Please can we go to dinner or something? Please? I'm tired of being bed ridden."

"You've been in bed for 3 hours, Lea. You're hardly bed ridden!"

He laughed at how dramatic she was being. She was clearly just playing it up to convince him to take her out.

"I'll pay Cor, please!"

She tried pouting at him, but her swollen cheek wouldn't allow it.

"You. Are. So. Cute."

He punctuated each word with a light kiss on her lips.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yeah, come on then… get changed and I'll take you to Pace!"

"Yay! Thanks babe!"

She jumped out of bed and into her clothes quicker than he could blink.

"I'm not ready to go home yet."

They'd just enjoyed an early dinner at one of her favourite restaurants in LA.

She really didn't know why she wanted to stay out so much, but she did.

"Oh no? Where would my lady like to go?"

"Hmmm… can we go to the movies? There's this new movie that I really, really want to see!"

Seeing her little face light up just did it for him.

He wanted to go against her wishes and take her home to bed, knowing that she'd been in surgery only hours earlier, but she was so adorable when she was excited.

"Are you sure that's a good idea Lee? You did have your teeth extracted only this morning?"

"I feel fine! Come on let's go, I don't want to miss the 9 o'clock show!"

Facing no other option, he let her pull him back to his car.

"I promise you'll like the movie, babe."

She kissed his lips as he strapped himself into the driver's seat.

"I know darling. But promise me you'll actually watch this movie? I'm not having us pay money to just make out in the dark… we can do that at home."

Trying hard not to groan, she nodded her head brightly.

"Okay, I promise."

Cory soon learned that she had been bluffing when the movie started and her hand wandered to his thigh.

"Lea… what did I say?"

"Shhh, you're not allowed to talk in here."

She shut him up with a kiss and wrapped her leg around his, truly wanting to feel every part of him against her.

It was safe to say that they didn't watch much of the movie.

Cuddling and kissing in the dark were one of their favourite things to do.

Especially when they could get away with it in public and not have anyone recognize them.

"So Lea, what did you think of the movie?"

"It was great! Better than I expected!"

He gave her a knowing look, laughing at her lies.

"Oh yeah, which part was your favourite?"

"You know the part where- the part where… it started?"

She flashed him her cheeky grin, raising her eyebrows as she spoke.

"You're such a liar. You said you wouldn't distract yourself!"

He clearly wasn't being serious. He actually found it pretty adorable that she wanted to watch the movie in the first place, but spent it fawning over him.

"I'm sorry… I can't ignore you! You're just so handsome and gentle and you give the best cuddles."

That really tipped him over the edge.

"You're such a cutie, I love you."

He leaned over the gap that sat between them in the car, pursing his lips in between hers and darting his tongue through her tight lips.

"Ouch!"

"What?"

"You hit my poorly side with your tongue!"


	63. I Promise

Flipping through the script, she was loving this episode so far.

She couldn't believe that they'd reached the 10th episode of the Season already. Time was flying by.

Just as she was about to lay down the script after quickly scanning the last few pages, something caught her eye.

_**(INT: AUDITORIUM.)**_

_Finn is sat in the middle of the auditorium on a chair, a picture of his father in his hand.  
He stares at it contently, completely lost in thought._

_Enter Rachel_

Her eyes widened as she saw the short scene in front of her.

Thank god she didn't close the script prematurely and miss it.

She loved the start of the scene.

It was sweet and cute.

Everything that Finn and Rachel's relationship was.

But as she read further into the dialogue, she couldn't help but feel her heart rate increase and her hands grow shaky.

A million things ran through her head as she read the final line of the episode.

The final piece of dialogue that was given by Finn:

"_Rachel Berry, will you marry me?"_

"Oh my god! Holy shit, oh my god!"

She couldn't stop herself from screaming.

Thank god she was alone in her house where no one could hear her impromptu freak out.

Holding her face in her hands, she couldn't believe what she had just read.

Finn was going to propose to Rachel.

He was going to ask her to marry HIM.

This was Rachel Berry. This was a character that she held so dear to her heart. Portraying Rachel had been the biggest part of her life for the last 4 years. It was her. She was Rachel. It was real.

Thinking deeper into the situation, she realized something much more complex.

Her relationship with Cory.

Things had changed between them recently. They'd had a few chats and shared a few kisses off set, but she wasn't quite sure where they stood as a couple.

Not wanting to create any unnecessary drama on the set and complicate things, they decided to talk about it again when Christmas Break came, which was only really a few weeks away.

All Lea knew was that she had some deep feelings for Cory, and that this scene was going to feel far too real for her.

Feeling butterflies flutter in her stomach, something inside of her told her to call Cory.

She wanted to know how he felt about it.

Hopefully he was just as excited as she was. Filming epic scenes were so challenging yet rewarding. It made them better actors when they were thrown in the deep end, out of their comfort zones.

Remembering that she'd left her phone in the kitchen, she quickly jumped up from the bed, snatching it from the counter top where it was lying.

Clearly Cory had already read this script since there were 3 missed calls from him logged into her phone.

Unlocking her phone, she noticed that half of her cast mates had texted her about the scene also.

_**Dianna: Holy mother of god, just read the script! Have fun with that kid x**_

_**Naya: Congratulations Mrs Hudson. Hope Finn has fun chasing your coattails for the rest of your life ;)**_

_**Kevin: Wooooahhh I bet you can't guess what I just read**_

_And finally,_

_**Ryan: Feel free to call me after you read the script.**_

Of course she wanted to talk to Ryan about it, but she'd deal with everyone later.

Right now, Cory was the only person she wanted to talk to.

Swiping her hands across the screen, she dialled his number and lifted the phone to her ear.

Within seconds he picked up, breathing heavily.

"Lea?!"

"Cory oh my god! I'm freaking out!"

"Me too! I almost fell of my chair! Plot twist or what?!"

She laughed at his goofiness. It was very clear that he was just excited as her, if not more.

"I almost put the script down before reading the final two pages. Imagine if I hadn't seen it, oh my god…."

He laughed at her softly, adoring her dopiness.

After a minute, he decided to ask her the deeper questions.

"So… how do you feel about all of this? I mean, it's going to be such a challenge, but I think we can do it!"

"Absolutely. It's not as if Finn and Rachel don't have the history to attempt this sort of thing. I think we just need to really zone into our characters and play it from the heart… I-I know that's not going to be easy, but we can try."

"Not going to be easy?" he was truly confused at her statement, "Lea, you know how I feel about you…"

"Cory?!" she quickly interrupted him, "Can we please not talk about this now?"

"Why not?"

"Because it's now. Why now? We have some big challenges ahead of us in the next few weeks… We don't need our feelings and emotions complicating that and mixing up acting with reality."

"But Lea, that's the way it's going to be... that's the way it has always been!"

"Listen, Cor. You know I really, really like you. I just- I just need to stay focused for these next few weeks… then I promise we'll sort things out, okay? I'm sorry, but I'm just so confused at the moment. I can't be a good actress if I don't concentrate."

He knew that he'd pushed the subject a little too much and held back.

He did know how she felt about him. Since the moment he'd kissed her out of character, he knew. He knew that she definitely wanted their relationship to blossom and grow into something more than a friendship. He had no doubt that she was hooked. It was just the timing that was bad.

"No, no I totally understand. I'm so sorry that I even brought it up, that was totally unfair and insensitive of me, I'm sorry."

She smiled at his apology. She never asked him for one, or even felt like he owed her one, but it was still nice to know that he cared about her feelings and respected her decisions.

"Cor, it's fine. I'm sorry for being so anal. It's just that work is so important to me and I want to do my best for everyone, you know? I promise that we'll sort things out soon, okay?"

"It sounds good to me, hun."

Even his little pet name sent shivers down her spine.

"Okay, well it's getting late and I should really call Ryan, I think he wants to speak to me about all of this…"

"Yeah of course…. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Of course you will! And Cory? I think we've got this. We're going to kill this scene. It's going to be awesome."

"I totally agree." He said, smiling into the phone at her confidence, "If there's anyone who can do this, it's us."

"Absolutely! Right, I really must go now. See you in the morning!"

"Okay bye Lee! Love you!"

She hung up as she heard his words ring in her ears.

Did he honestly just casually let slip that he loved her?

As casual as it may have been, it still made her squeal like a little girl and dance around her bedroom, feeling like a teenager all over again.


End file.
